The Boss Maresca Describes Lead-Up Time as The 'Most Difficult 48 Hours' with the Club
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the build-up to the weekend's win against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.
The 44-year-old offered a somewhat cryptic statement in his post-match press conference even after securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge thanks to finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those crucial points sent Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, potentially lightening the atmosphere after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's drought without a win to consecutive fixtures.
But, when questioned about the full-back's assist and general performance, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his displeasure over the previous 48-hour period at the organization.
"The way the lads want to learn has been excellent and this is the reason why I praise them - because with numerous challenges, they are excelling after a complicated week," he said.
"From the moment I arrived at the club, the past 48 hours have been the worst because several people withheld support from us."
Pressed on what he meant, the former Leicester City boss added: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team."
When questioned if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he responded: "In general. In general," before clarifying when queried if it was aimed at supporters or the media: "I love the fans and we are very pleased with the fans."
Fitness and Disciplinary Crisis
Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's persistent injury and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for much of the season, in addition to being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to two serious injuries.
"I really commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them minus Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he said.
"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are doing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer playing, we said many times that he's our finest player but we play almost all season without our best player.
"We play 5 games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would want people externally to recognize because the effort from the players is outstanding."
Chelsea's success over Everton consolidated their position in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup last-eight tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled next week.
Speculation Regarding Maresca's Comments
It was unclear what exactly caused Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the worst of his tenure as Chelsea head coach.
In that period, the coach had traveled back with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a training session at Cobham, attended a pre-match news conference where he seemed at ease, and secured a win over an high-flying Everton team.
It was unclear whether any specific media reports had unsettled him, if social media comments were a factor, or if it was something deeper from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca only sought to deny that it was an matter involving the club's supporters, a section of which have still have yet to fully warm to him since his appointment from Leicester in July last year.
