Chelsea's Boss Maresca Describes Lead-Up Period as The 'Worst Two Days' at the Club

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca remarked that the preparation to Saturday's victory against Everton constituted "the most challenging 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.

The Italian delivered a puzzling statement in his after-game interview even after notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

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

However, when asked about Gusto's contribution and overall performance, Maresca unexpectedly disclosed his frustration over the previous two days at the club.

"The way the players are eager to improve has been fantastic and this is the reason why I praise them - because with numerous issues, they are performing admirably after a tricky week," he stated.

"Since I joined the club, the previous 48 hours have been the most difficult because several people failed to back us."

When pushed further on the specifics, the former Leicester City boss added: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When questioned if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he answered: "Broadly speaking. In general," before specifying when asked if it was aimed at supporters or the press: "I adore the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."

Injury & Disciplinary Crisis

Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's persistent fitness and suspension issues, noting they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, in addition to losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of serious injuries.

"I really commend the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them without Moises Caicedo, eleven of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are doing fantastic. Today was 5 games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer there, we have said many times that he's our top player but we play the vast majority of the season without our best player.

"We play 5 games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to acknowledge because the work from the players is fantastic."

Chelsea's win over Everton consolidated 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 to come next week.

Speculation Over Maresca's Remark

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

In that timeframe, the Italian had traveled back with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, held a session at Cobham, faced a pre-match press briefing where he seemed at ease, and engineered a win over an in-form Everton side.

It was hard to discern whether any particular press stories had irked him, if online discourse were a factor, or if it was something more significant from inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an matter involving the club's fans, some of whom have still have yet to fully warm to him since his appointment from Leicester in July 2024.