The Boss Maresca Calls Pre-Match Period as His 'Most Difficult 48 Hours' with the Blues
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the run-up to Saturday's triumph against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.
The Italian delivered a rather mysterious statement in his post-match media briefing despite notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge through goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those three precious points propelled Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, perhaps lightening the mood after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's winless run to four matches.
But, when asked about Gusto's contribution and overall performance, Maresca surprisingly divulged his frustration over the previous two days within the organization.
"The way the squad are eager to improve has been excellent and this is the reason why I applaud them - because with a host of challenges, they are performing admirably after a difficult week," he stated.
"From the moment I arrived at the club, the past 48 hours have been the toughest because a lot of people withheld support from us."
When pushed further on his meaning, the former Leicester City boss elaborated: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."
When asked if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he responded: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before specifying when asked if it was aimed at supporters or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."
Fitness and Suspension Crisis
Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and suspension issues, noting they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, as well as losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.
"I really praise the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, eleven of them without Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.
"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are performing fantastic. Today was 5 games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer available, we said many times that he's our finest player but we play almost all season minus our best player.
"We play 5 games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to acknowledge because the effort from the players is remarkable."
Chelsea's success over Everton cemented their standing in fourth in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.
Speculation Regarding Maresca's Remark
It was ambiguous what exactly caused Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his time as Chelsea manager.
In that timeframe, the Italian had returned with his staff and players from his native Italy, held a session at the training ground, faced a pre-match news conference where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a win over an high-flying Everton side.
It was unclear whether any particular press stories had unsettled him, if social media comments were a factor, or if it was something deeper from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to deny that it was an matter involving the club's fans, some of whom have not yet fully warm to him since his appointment from Leicester in July last year.
