The Boss Maresca Describes Pre-Match Time as His 'Toughest 48 Hours' at the Club
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the run-up to Saturday's win against Everton constituted "the most challenging 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.
The 44-year-old delivered a somewhat cryptic message in his after-game media briefing despite notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those points sent Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, perhaps improving the mood after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's winless run to four fixtures.
However, when asked about Gusto's contribution and overall performance, Maresca surprisingly disclosed his displeasure over the preceding two days at the club.
"How the lads are eager to develop has been superb and this is the reason why I commend them - because with so many issues, they are excelling after a tricky week," he commented.
"From the moment I arrived at the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because many people failed to back us."
When pushed further on what he meant, the former Leicester City boss added: "Most difficult 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 responded: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before specifying when queried if it was directed towards fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are very happy with the fans."
Injury & Suspension Woes
Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and suspension problems, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, as well as being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.
"I really applaud 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 on the pitch, they are doing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer there, we have said many times that he's our finest player but we play the vast majority of the 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 acknowledge because the effort from the players is outstanding."
Chelsea's triumph over Everton strengthened their position in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled next week.
Speculation Over Maresca's Comments
It was not immediately clear who or what prompted Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the worst of his tenure as Chelsea manager.
In that period, the Italian had traveled back with his staff and players from Bergamo, conducted a 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 hard to discern whether any particular media reports had irked him, if online discourse were a factor, or if it was something more significant from within the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an issue involving the club's fans, a section of which have not yet fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester during July last year.
