Chelsea's Manager Maresca Calls Pre-Match Time as His 'Most Difficult 48 Hours' with the Blues

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca remarked that the run-up to Saturday's win against Everton constituted "the toughest 48 hours" since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian made a puzzling message in his after-game interview despite securing a 2-0 win at home thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points propelled Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, perhaps lightening the atmosphere after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's drought without a win to consecutive fixtures.

However, when asked about Gusto's assist and overall performance, Maresca unexpectedly disclosed his frustration over the preceding two days within the organization.

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

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the past 48 hours have been the worst because a lot of people didn't support us."

When pushed further on what he meant, the former Leicester City manager elaborated: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When questioned if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. In general," before clarifying when asked if it was directed towards fans or the press: "I adore the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."

Injury and Suspension Crisis

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary problems, noting they had been missing star attacker 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 a couple of serious injuries.

"I truly praise the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, eleven of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he said.

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

"We play 5 games in the Premier League minus 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 appreciate because the commitment from the players is fantastic."

Chelsea's win over Everton consolidated their position in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup last-eight tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come 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 manager.

In that timeframe, the Italian had returned with his staff and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at the training ground, faced a pre-match news conference where he seemed at ease, and secured a victory over an high-flying Everton side.

It was hard to discern whether any specific press stories had irked him, if social media comments played a role, or if it was something more significant from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to deny that it was an matter involving the club's fans, a section of which have not yet fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester in July last year.