The Boss Maresca Calls Pre-Match Time as His 'Worst 48 Hours' at the Club

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the preparation to Saturday's victory against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.

The 44-year-old delivered a puzzling message in his after-game interview even after securing a 2-0 win at home through strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those crucial points propelled Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps lightening the atmosphere following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's drought without a win to four matches.

Yet, when questioned about Gusto's assist and overall display, Maresca surprisingly divulged his frustration over the preceding two days within the organization.

"How the squad are eager to learn has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with numerous challenges, they are doing very well after a tricky week," he said.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the past 48 hours have been the toughest because several people failed to back us."

Pressed on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City boss elaborated: "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 replied: "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 pleased with the fans."

Injury and Disciplinary Crisis

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing injury and suspension problems, noting they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, as well as being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to two significant injuries.

"I really applaud the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are performing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer playing, we said many times that he's our best player but we play almost all season without our top player.

"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to recognize because the work from the players is fantastic."

Chelsea's success over Everton strengthened their standing in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup last-eight tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come next week.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Comments

It was not immediately clear what exactly caused Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the worst of his tenure as Chelsea manager.

In that timeframe, the coach had returned with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, conducted a session at Cobham, faced a pre-game press briefing where he seemed at ease, and engineered a win over an high-flying Everton side.

It was unclear whether any particular media reports had irked him, if online comments played a role, or if it was something more significant from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an issue related to the club's fans, a section of which have not yet fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester during July 2024.