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

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the preparation to Saturday's win against Everton was "the most challenging 48 hours" he has experienced at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian delivered a rather mysterious message in his after-game interview even after earning a 2-0 win at home courtesy of goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points propelled Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps lightening the mood following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's drought without a win to four matches.

But, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and general performance, Maresca unexpectedly disclosed his frustration over the preceding two days within the organization.

"The way the squad are eager to develop has been excellent and this is the explanation why I praise them - because with numerous challenges, they are excelling after a tricky week," he commented.

"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because several people withheld support from us."

Pressed on his meaning, the former Leicester City manager added: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When asked if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he responded: "Broadly speaking. In general," before clarifying when asked if it was directed towards supporters or the media: "I adore the fans and we are very content with the fans."

Injury & Disciplinary Crisis

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, in addition to being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to two serious injuries.

"I truly commend the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are doing brilliantly. Today was five games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer playing, we have said many times that he's our finest 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 reason why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would want people externally to recognize because the commitment from the players is remarkable."

Chelsea's win over Everton cemented their standing in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup last-eight tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come next week.

Speculation Over Maresca's Comments

It was not immediately clear who or what prompted Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his time as Chelsea head coach.

In that period, the coach had returned with his staff and players from Bergamo, held a training session at the training ground, faced a pre-match news conference where he seemed relaxed, and secured a victory over an in-form Everton team.

It was unclear whether any particular press stories 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 matter involving the club's fans, a section of which have not yet fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester in July last year.