Chelsea's Boss Enzo Maresca Calls Pre-Match Period as His 'Worst Two Days' with the Club

Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca remarked that the build-up to the weekend's triumph against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" of his tenure at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old offered a rather mysterious statement in his post-match interview despite earning a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge through strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points propelled Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps improving the mood after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's winless run to consecutive matches.

Yet, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and overall performance, Maresca surprisingly disclosed his annoyance over the preceding two days within the organization.

"How the lads are eager to develop has been excellent and this is the explanation why I praise them - because with numerous issues, they are performing admirably after a complicated week," he commented.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the last 48 hours have been the toughest because many people failed to back us."

Pressed on the specifics, the former Leicester City boss continued: "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 internally at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. Overall," before clarifying when asked if it was aimed at fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are very pleased with the fans."

Fitness and Disciplinary Woes

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent fitness and suspension problems, remarking they had been without star attacker 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 serious injuries.

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

"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are doing brilliantly. Today was five 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 almost all season minus our top player.

"We play 5 games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would like people externally to appreciate because the work from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's success over Everton strengthened their position in fourth in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup last-eight clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.

Speculation Over Maresca's Comments

It was unclear what exactly caused Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his time as Chelsea head coach.

In that window, the coach had traveled back with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, held a training session at Cobham, attended a pre-game news conference where he appeared relaxed, and secured a victory over an in-form Everton team.

It was unclear whether any particular press stories had irked him, if online comments were a factor, or if it was something deeper from inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to deny that it was an issue related to the club's fans, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester during July 2024.