Chelsea's Manager Enzo Maresca Calls Pre-Match Time as The 'Worst Two Days' with the Blues

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca remarked that the preparation to Saturday's victory against Everton represented "the most challenging 48 hours" of his tenure at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old made a puzzling statement in his post-match media briefing despite earning a 2-0 win at home through strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points sent Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, perhaps improving the mood following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's drought without a win to consecutive outings.

But, when asked about Gusto's contribution and general performance, Maresca unexpectedly disclosed his displeasure over the previous 48-hour period at the club.

"How the squad want to improve has been excellent and this is the explanation why I praise them - because with so many issues, they are performing admirably after a complicated week," he said.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because several people didn't support us."

Pressed on what he meant, the former Leicester City manager 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 answered: "In general. In general," before specifying when asked if it was aimed at supporters or the media: "I adore the fans and we are very pleased with the fans."

Fitness & Suspension Crisis

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

"I truly commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them minus Moises Caicedo, eleven 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 doing fantastic. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our top player but we play the vast majority of the season without our top player.

"We play 5 games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would want people externally to recognize because the commitment 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 journey to Newcastle to come next week.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Remark

It was not immediately clear who or what caused Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his spell as Chelsea head coach.

In that window, the coach had returned with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a session at the training ground, attended a pre-game news conference where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton team.

It was unclear whether any specific press stories had unsettled him, if online discourse were a factor, or if it was something deeper from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to deny that it was an matter involving the club's fans, some of whom have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester in July last year.