The Boss Maresca Labels Lead-Up Time as The 'Most Difficult Two Days' with the Blues
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the run-up to Saturday's win against Everton constituted "the most challenging 48 hours" he has experienced with the London club.
The 44-year-old offered a rather mysterious message in his after-game press conference even after notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge thanks to finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those points propelled Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps improving the atmosphere after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's drought without a win to four outings.
However, when asked about the full-back's contribution and overall display, Maresca surprisingly disclosed his displeasure over the previous two days within the organization.
"How the squad want to learn has been superb and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with numerous problems, they are doing very well after a difficult week," he commented.
"From the moment I arrived at the club, the past 48 hours have been the most difficult because a lot of people failed to back us."
When pushed further on the specifics, the ex- Leicester City manager elaborated: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."
When asked if he meant people within at Chelsea, he replied: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the press: "I love the fans and we are very pleased with the fans."
Injury & Disciplinary Woes
Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary issues, noting they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, as well as being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to two significant injuries.
"I really praise the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.
"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are performing fantastic. Today was 5 games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our finest player but we play almost all season minus our best player.
"We play 5 games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would want people externally to appreciate because the commitment from the players is remarkable."
Chelsea's success over Everton consolidated their standing in fourth in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup last-eight tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled next week.
Speculation Over Maresca's Remark
It was ambiguous what exactly prompted Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the worst of his tenure as Chelsea manager.
In that period, the Italian had returned with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a session at the training ground, faced a pre-game news conference where he appeared at ease, and engineered a win over an in-form Everton team.
It was not obvious whether any particular press stories had irked him, if online discourse were a factor, or if it was something more significant from within the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca only sought to deny that it was an matter related to the club's fans, a section of which have not yet fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester during July 2024.
