The Manager Enzo Maresca Calls Pre-Match Time as The 'Toughest 48 Hours' with the Blues

Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca remarked that the build-up to Saturday's victory against Everton represented "the toughest 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.

The 44-year-old made a puzzling comment in his post-match press conference despite securing a 2-0 win at home thanks to strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

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

But, when questioned about the full-back's assist and overall performance, Maresca surprisingly shared his displeasure over the previous two days at the organization.

"How the players are eager to learn has been superb and this is the reason why I commend them - because with so many challenges, they are doing very well after a difficult week," he commented.

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

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

When asked if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. In general," before clarifying when asked if it was aimed at fans or the press: "I adore the fans and we are very pleased with the fans."

Injury and Suspension Crisis

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent injury and disciplinary problems, remarking they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for much of the season, as well as being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to two significant injuries.

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

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

"We play 5 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 externally to acknowledge because the commitment from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's triumph over Everton strengthened their position in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled next week.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Comments

It was unclear what exactly prompted Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his spell as Chelsea head coach.

In that timeframe, the coach had returned with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, held a training session at Cobham, faced a pre-game news conference where he appeared at ease, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton side.

It was unclear whether any specific media reports had irked him, if social media comments played a role, or if it was something deeper from within 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 arrival from Leicester during July 2024.