Chelsea's Boss Enzo Maresca Labels Pre-Match Time as His 'Worst Two Days' with the Blues

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca stated that the preparation to Saturday's triumph against Everton was "the most challenging 48 hours" of his tenure at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian offered a rather mysterious comment in his post-match press conference despite earning a 2-0 win at home thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points lifted Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, potentially improving the atmosphere after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's drought without a win to four matches.

But, when asked about Gusto's contribution and general performance, Maresca surprisingly divulged his displeasure over the previous two days within the club.

"The way the players want to learn has been excellent and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with a host of issues, they are excelling after a tricky week," he said.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the past 48 hours have been the toughest because several people didn't support us."

Pressed on his meaning, the former Leicester City boss added: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When asked if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. Overall," before clarifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the media: "I adore the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."

Injury & Suspension Crisis

Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's persistent injury and suspension problems, remarking they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, as well as losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to two significant injuries.

"I truly commend the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, five of them minus Moises Caicedo, eleven of them without Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them without Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are performing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer there, we have said many times that he's our best player but we play almost all season minus our best player.

"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to appreciate because the commitment from the players is fantastic."

Chelsea's triumph over Everton strengthened their position in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come next week.

Speculation Over Maresca's Comments

It was unclear who or what prompted Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his spell as Chelsea head coach.

In that window, the Italian had traveled back with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at the training ground, faced a pre-match press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a win over an in-form Everton team.

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

Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an matter involving the club's fans, some of whom have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester in July last year.