Chelsea's Boss Maresca Calls Lead-Up Period as The 'Toughest Two Days' with the Club

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca revealed that the build-up to the weekend's win against Everton represented "the worst 48 hours" of his tenure at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian offered a somewhat cryptic message in his post-match interview even after notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge through finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

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

Yet, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and overall performance, Maresca unexpectedly shared his displeasure over the preceding two days within the organization.

"How the lads want to learn has been excellent and this is the reason why I commend them - because with a host of challenges, they are doing very well after a tricky week," he said.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the last 48 hours have been the most difficult because a lot of people failed to back us."

Pressed on the specifics, the ex- Leicester City manager elaborated: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When questioned if he meant people within at Chelsea, he responded: "Broadly speaking. In general," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at supporters or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."

Injury and Disciplinary Woes

Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary issues, noting they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, in addition to losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

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

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are doing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our top player but we play the vast majority of the season minus our top player.

"We play five 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 outside to recognize because the commitment from the players is remarkable."

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 journey to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.

Speculation Over Maresca's Remark

It was ambiguous who or what caused Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his tenure as Chelsea manager.

In that timeframe, the Italian had returned with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a training session at the training ground, attended a pre-match press briefing where he appeared at ease, and engineered a win over an in-form Everton team.

It was unclear whether any particular press stories had irked him, if social media discourse played a role, or if it was something deeper from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to deny that it was an issue involving the club's supporters, some of whom have not yet fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester during July last year.