The Boss Maresca Calls Lead-Up Period as His 'Worst 48 Hours' at the Club
Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca stated that the run-up to the weekend's win against Everton was "the most challenging 48 hours" he has experienced at Stamford Bridge.
The 44-year-old made a puzzling comment in his after-game interview despite earning a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge through strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those three precious points propelled Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, potentially improving the atmosphere after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's winless run to four matches.
However, when asked about Gusto's assist and overall display, Maresca unexpectedly disclosed his annoyance over the previous 48-hour period at the club.
"How the players want to learn has been superb and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with numerous issues, they are excelling after a difficult week," he commented.
"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the most difficult because a lot of people failed to back us."
When pushed further on his meaning, the ex- Leicester City boss continued: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."
When asked if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he responded: "In general. In general," before clarifying when asked if it was aimed at supporters or the media: "I love the fans and we are very content with the fans."
Fitness and Disciplinary Crisis
Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing fitness and suspension problems, remarking they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for much of the season, as well as losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.
"I truly commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, eleven of them minus Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them without Liam Delap," he said.
"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are performing brilliantly. Today was five games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer playing, we have said many times that he's our top player but we play the vast majority of the season minus our top player.
"We play 5 games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would like people externally to appreciate because the effort from the players is fantastic."
Chelsea's win over Everton cemented their position in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come in the coming days.
Uncertainty Over Maresca's Remark
It was not immediately clear what exactly caused Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his tenure as Chelsea head coach.
In that period, the Italian had returned with his staff and players from Bergamo, held a session at the training ground, faced a pre-match news conference where he appeared at ease, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton team.
It was hard to discern whether any specific press stories had unsettled him, if social media discourse played a role, or if it was something more significant from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an matter involving the club's supporters, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester during July last year.
