Chelsea's Manager Enzo Maresca Describes Lead-Up Period as The 'Toughest Two Days' at the Blues
Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca revealed that the preparation to the weekend's triumph against Everton constituted "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.
The 44-year-old offered a somewhat cryptic statement in his after-game media briefing even after earning a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those three precious points sent Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, potentially improving the mood following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's drought without a win to consecutive matches.
Yet, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and general display, Maresca surprisingly shared his frustration over the preceding 48-hour period at the club.
"The way the players want to learn has been excellent and this is the reason why I praise them - because with numerous issues, they are performing admirably after a complicated week," he stated.
"From the moment I arrived at the club, the previous 48 hours have been the worst because a lot of people withheld support from us."
When pushed further on his meaning, the former Leicester City manager elaborated: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."
When asked if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he answered: "In general. Overall," before specifying when asked if it was aimed at fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."
Fitness and Disciplinary Crisis
Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and suspension issues, noting they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, as well as being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.
"I really applaud the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, eleven of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he said.
"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are doing brilliantly. Today was five games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer available, we have said many times that he's our top player but we play almost all season without our top player.
"We play five games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would like people externally to acknowledge because the work from the players is fantastic."
Chelsea's triumph over Everton consolidated 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 to come next week.
Speculation Regarding Maresca's Comments
It was ambiguous who or what prompted Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea manager.
In that window, the coach had returned with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at Cobham, faced a pre-match news conference where he appeared at ease, and secured a win over an high-flying Everton side.
It was unclear whether any specific media reports 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 rule out that it was an issue related to the club's supporters, some of whom have not yet fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester during July last year.