The Boss Maresca Describes Pre-Match Period as His 'Most Difficult 48 Hours' at the Blues

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the preparation to Saturday's victory against Everton constituted "the toughest 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.

The 44-year-old delivered a puzzling comment in his after-game media briefing even after securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge thanks to strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those crucial points propelled Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, potentially lightening the atmosphere following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's winless run to four matches.

But, when asked about the full-back's contribution and overall display, Maresca surprisingly divulged his frustration over the previous 48-hour period at the organization.

"How the players want to develop has been superb and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with a host of issues, they are doing very well after a difficult week," he commented.

"Since I joined the club, the past 48 hours have been the toughest because many people failed to back us."

When pushed further on the specifics, the ex- Leicester City manager added: "Worst 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 internally at Chelsea, he answered: "In general. In general," before clarifying when queried if it was directed towards supporters or the media: "I love the fans and we are very content with the fans."

Fitness & Suspension Crisis

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent fitness and suspension issues, remarking they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, as well as being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of serious injuries.

"I truly applaud the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them minus Moises Caicedo, eleven of them without Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them without Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are performing fantastic. 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 the vast majority of the season minus our best player.

"We play five games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would want people outside to appreciate because the commitment from the players is remarkable."

Chelsea's win over Everton consolidated their position in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup last-eight clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.

Uncertainty Over Maresca's Remark

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

In that timeframe, the coach had traveled back with his staff and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at Cobham, attended a pre-game news conference where he appeared relaxed, and secured a victory over an in-form Everton team.

It was hard to discern whether any specific media reports had unsettled him, if online discourse were a factor, or if it was something more significant from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to deny that it was an issue related to the club's fans, a section of which have not yet fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester during July last year.