Chelsea's Boss Maresca Labels Lead-Up Period as The 'Toughest 48 Hours' with the Blues
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the build-up to the weekend's victory against Everton represented "the toughest 48 hours" he has experienced with the London club.
The Italian delivered a rather mysterious statement in his post-match media briefing even after earning a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those crucial points sent Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, potentially lightening the mood after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's winless run to four fixtures.
Yet, when questioned about the full-back's assist and general performance, Maresca surprisingly shared his annoyance over the previous 48-hour period at the organization.
"The way the lads are eager to improve has been superb and this is the reason why I applaud them - because with numerous problems, they are excelling after a difficult week," he said.
"Since I joined the club, the previous 48 hours have been the toughest because many people withheld support from us."
When pushed further on his meaning, the ex- Leicester City manager continued: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."
When questioned if he meant people within at Chelsea, he replied: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the media: "I adore the fans and we are very content with the fans."
Injury and Disciplinary Woes
Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's persistent fitness and suspension problems, remarking they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, as well as being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.
"I truly applaud the players and the squad because we 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, no matter who is playing, they are doing fantastic. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer playing, we said many times that he's our best player but we play almost all season without our top player.
"We play 5 games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would want people outside to appreciate because the commitment from the players is fantastic."
Chelsea's triumph over Everton cemented their standing in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come next week.
Uncertainty 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 window, the Italian had traveled back with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at the training ground, faced a pre-game press briefing where he appeared relaxed, and secured a victory over an in-form Everton side.
It was not obvious whether any specific 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 matter involving the club's supporters, a section of which have not yet fully warm to him since his appointment from Leicester in July last year.
