The Boss Enzo Maresca Calls Pre-Match Period as His 'Worst 48 Hours' with the Blues

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca remarked that the preparation to the weekend's victory against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian delivered a rather mysterious comment in his after-game interview even after securing a 2-0 win at home courtesy of strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points lifted Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, potentially improving the atmosphere after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's winless run to four matches.

However, when questioned about the full-back's contribution and general performance, Maresca surprisingly shared his frustration over the preceding 48-hour period at the organization.

"How the lads want to develop has been superb and this is the reason why I praise them - because with numerous challenges, they are performing admirably after a difficult week," he stated.

"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the toughest because many people didn't support us."

Pressed on his meaning, the former Leicester City manager continued: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When asked if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he replied: "Broadly speaking. In general," before specifying when asked if it was directed towards supporters or the press: "I adore the fans and we are extremely content with the fans."

Fitness & Suspension Crisis

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary issues, noting they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, in addition to losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

"I really praise the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are performing exceptionally. Today was 5 games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer available, we said many times that he's our top 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 pleased for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to appreciate because the effort from the players is remarkable."

Chelsea's win over Everton strengthened their standing in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup last-eight tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come next week.

Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Remark

It was ambiguous who or what caused Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea head coach.

In that window, the coach had returned with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at the training ground, faced a pre-game press briefing where he appeared relaxed, and secured a win over an in-form Everton team.

It was unclear whether any particular media reports had unsettled him, if online comments played a role, or if it was something more significant from inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an issue involving the club's fans, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester during July 2024.