Chelsea's Boss Enzo Maresca Labels Lead-Up Period as His 'Toughest Two Days' with the Blues

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca remarked that the build-up to the weekend's victory against Everton represented "the toughest 48 hours" he has experienced with the London club.

The 44-year-old delivered a rather mysterious comment in his after-game press conference despite securing a 2-0 win at home through goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points propelled Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, perhaps improving the mood following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's drought without a win to four outings.

But, when asked about the full-back's contribution and overall display, Maresca surprisingly shared his annoyance over the previous two days within the club.

"The way the lads want to learn has been excellent and this is the reason why I praise them - because with so many problems, they are performing admirably after a complicated week," he commented.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the previous 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 manager added: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When questioned if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he responded: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the press: "I adore the fans and we are extremely content with the fans."

Injury & Disciplinary Crisis

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent injury and suspension problems, remarking they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, in addition to losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to two significant injuries.

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

"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are doing fantastic. Today was 5 games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer playing, we have said many times that he's our best player but we play the vast majority of the season minus 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 externally to appreciate because the work from the players is remarkable."

Chelsea's triumph 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 scheduled in the coming days.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Remark

It was ambiguous who or what prompted Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the worst of his tenure as Chelsea head coach.

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

It was not obvious whether any particular press stories had irked him, if social media discourse played a role, or if it was something more significant from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an issue related to the club's supporters, some of whom have not yet fully warm to him since his appointment from Leicester in July 2024.