Chelsea's Manager Maresca Labels Pre-Match Time as His 'Worst Two Days' with the Club
Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca stated that the build-up to Saturday's triumph against Everton was "the toughest 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.
The Italian offered a rather mysterious statement in his post-match media briefing despite earning a 2-0 win at home courtesy of goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those points sent Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, potentially lightening the mood following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's drought without a win to consecutive outings.
But, when asked about the full-back's contribution and general display, Maresca surprisingly divulged his frustration over the preceding 48-hour period at the organization.
"How the squad want to improve has been superb and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with so many issues, they are excelling after a complicated week," he said.
"Since I joined the club, the past 48 hours have been the most difficult because many people withheld support from us."
When pushed further on the specifics, the former Leicester City manager added: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."
When asked if he meant people within at Chelsea, he responded: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before specifying when asked if it was aimed at fans or the press: "I love the fans and we are very content with the fans."
Injury and Disciplinary Crisis
Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's persistent injury and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, as well as being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of serious injuries.
"I truly praise the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them minus Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he said.
"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 available, we said many times that he's our best player but we play almost all season without our best player.
"We play 5 games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would like people externally to acknowledge because the work from the players is outstanding."
Chelsea's win over Everton strengthened their standing in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled next week.
Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Remark
It was not immediately clear who or what prompted Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea head coach.
In that timeframe, the Italian had traveled back with his staff and players from Bergamo, held a session at the training ground, faced a pre-match press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton team.
It was hard to discern whether any particular media reports had irked him, if social media comments played a role, or if it was something deeper from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an matter related to the club's fans, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester in July 2024.
