Chelsea's Manager Enzo Maresca Labels Lead-Up Period as The 'Most Difficult 48 Hours' at the Club
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca remarked that the run-up to the weekend's victory against Everton represented "the toughest 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.
The 44-year-old offered a rather mysterious comment in his after-game press conference even after securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge through strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those three precious points lifted Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, potentially lightening the mood following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's winless run to consecutive matches.
Yet, when questioned about Gusto's assist and overall performance, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his annoyance over the previous two days at the club.
"The way the lads want to improve has been superb and this is the explanation why I praise them - because with numerous problems, they are excelling after a complicated week," he commented.
"Since I joined the club, the past 48 hours have been the worst because a lot of people failed to back us."
When pushed further on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City boss elaborated: "Most difficult 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 within at Chelsea, he replied: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before clarifying when asked if it was aimed at fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are very pleased with the fans."
Injury and Suspension Crisis
Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing injury and suspension issues, remarking they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, in addition to losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of serious injuries.
"I truly commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them minus Moises Caicedo, 11 of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.
"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are doing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer playing, we said many times that he's our top player but we play almost all season minus our best player.
"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would want people externally to acknowledge because the work from the players is fantastic."
Chelsea's success over Everton cemented their position in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup last-eight tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come next week.
Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Comments
It was not immediately clear who or what prompted Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the worst of his spell as Chelsea head coach.
In that period, the Italian had returned with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, conducted a session at the training ground, faced a pre-game news conference where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton side.
It was hard to discern whether any specific media reports had unsettled him, if social media comments were a factor, or if it was something deeper from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca only sought to deny that it was an issue involving the club's fans, a section of which have not yet fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester in July 2024.
