Chelsea's Manager Enzo Maresca Describes Lead-Up Time as His 'Worst 48 Hours' at the Blues

Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca remarked that the build-up to the weekend's victory against Everton was "the most challenging 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.

The 44-year-old delivered a rather mysterious comment in his after-game interview despite notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge through finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points lifted Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, potentially lightening the mood after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's drought without a win to four fixtures.

But, when asked about the full-back's contribution and overall display, Maresca unexpectedly disclosed his frustration over the preceding 48-hour period at the club.

"How the lads want to develop has been fantastic and this is the reason why I commend them - because with a host of challenges, they are performing admirably after a difficult week," he said.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the last 48 hours have been the most difficult because a lot of people withheld support from us."

Pressed on his meaning, the ex- Leicester City manager elaborated: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When questioned if he meant people within at Chelsea, he answered: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before specifying when asked if it was directed towards supporters or the media: "I adore the fans and we are very pleased with the fans."

Injury & Suspension Crisis

Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and disciplinary problems, noting they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, in addition to being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

"I truly commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them minus Moises Caicedo, eleven of them without Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are performing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our best player but we play the vast majority of the season minus our top player.

"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would like people externally to acknowledge because the effort from the players is fantastic."

Chelsea's win over Everton consolidated their position in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.

Speculation Over Maresca's Comments

It was unclear what exactly caused Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the worst of his spell as Chelsea head coach.

In that window, the coach had traveled back with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a training session at Cobham, faced a pre-match news conference where he appeared at ease, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton side.

It was not obvious whether any specific media reports had irked him, if social media discourse were a factor, or if it was something more significant from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to deny that it was an matter related to the club's fans, some of whom have still have yet to fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester during July 2024.