Chelsea's Boss Enzo Maresca Calls Lead-Up Period as His 'Toughest Two Days' with the Blues

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca remarked that the build-up to the weekend's triumph against Everton represented "the worst 48 hours" of his tenure at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian delivered a somewhat cryptic statement in his after-game interview even after earning a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those crucial points lifted Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, potentially improving the mood after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's drought without a win to four matches.

But, when asked about Gusto's assist and general display, Maresca surprisingly shared his annoyance over the preceding 48-hour period at the organization.

"The way the players want to improve has been excellent and this is the explanation why I praise them - because with numerous problems, they are performing admirably after a complicated week," he stated.

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

When pushed further on the specifics, the ex- Leicester City boss continued: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When asked if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he responded: "In general. In general," before clarifying when queried if it was aimed at supporters or the media: "I adore the fans and we are extremely content with the fans."

Fitness & Disciplinary Crisis

Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's ongoing injury and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, in addition to losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to two significant injuries.

"I really praise the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them minus Moises Caicedo, eleven of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are doing exceptionally. Today was five games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer playing, we have 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 explanation why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would want people outside to acknowledge 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 quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come next week.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Comments

It was ambiguous what exactly prompted Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his spell as Chelsea manager.

In that timeframe, the coach had traveled back with his staff and players from Bergamo, held a session at the training ground, attended a pre-match news conference where he appeared relaxed, and secured a win over an high-flying Everton team.

It was hard to discern whether any specific media reports had irked him, if social media comments played a role, or if it was something more significant from within the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to deny that it was an issue related to the club's supporters, a section of which have still have yet to fully warm to him since his appointment from Leicester during July last year.