Chelsea's Boss Enzo Maresca Describes Pre-Match Time as His 'Worst Two Days' at the Blues

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca remarked that the run-up to the weekend's victory against Everton represented "the toughest 48 hours" of his tenure at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old offered a somewhat cryptic comment in his after-game press conference even after earning a 2-0 win at home through goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points lifted Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, potentially improving the mood following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's winless run to four outings.

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

"How the squad want to develop has been fantastic and this is the reason why I praise them - because with numerous issues, they are doing very well after a complicated week," he stated.

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

When pushed further on the specifics, the former 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 meant people internally at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. Overall," before specifying when queried if it was directed towards supporters or the press: "I adore the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."

Fitness & Suspension Woes

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing injury and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, in addition to losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game 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 without Moises Caicedo, eleven of them without Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.

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

"We play 5 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 recognize because the effort from the players is fantastic."

Chelsea's triumph 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 trip to Newcastle to come in the coming days.

Speculation Over Maresca's Remark

It was not immediately clear who or what prompted Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his tenure as Chelsea manager.

In that period, the Italian had traveled back with his staff and players from his native Italy, conducted a training session at Cobham, attended a pre-game press briefing where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a win over an in-form Everton team.

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

Maresca only sought to deny that it was an matter related to the club's supporters, a section of which have still have yet to fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester in July 2024.