The Boss Enzo Maresca Calls Pre-Match Time as The 'Toughest 48 Hours' at the Club
Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca revealed that the run-up to Saturday's victory against Everton constituted "the worst 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.
The Italian offered a puzzling comment in his after-game interview even after notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those three precious points lifted Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps improving the atmosphere after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's winless run to four fixtures.
However, when asked about the full-back's assist and general display, Maresca unexpectedly shared his annoyance over the preceding two days within the club.
"The way the players want to improve has been excellent and this is the reason why I commend them - because with numerous problems, they are doing very well after a difficult week," he commented.
"From the moment I arrived at the club, the previous 48 hours have been the worst because many people didn't support us."
When pushed further on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City boss elaborated: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."
When questioned if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he answered: "Broadly speaking. In general," before specifying when asked if it was directed towards fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."
Injury & Disciplinary Crisis
Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's persistent fitness and suspension problems, remarking they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for much of the season, in addition to losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of serious injuries.
"I truly praise the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them minus Moises Caicedo, eleven of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he explained.
"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are performing brilliantly. 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 almost all season without 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 externally to recognize because the effort from the players is fantastic."
Chelsea's triumph over Everton cemented their position in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup last-eight clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come next week.
Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Comments
It was not immediately clear who or what prompted Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea manager.
In that window, the Italian had returned with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, held a training session at the training ground, attended a pre-game press briefing where he appeared at ease, and secured a win over an high-flying Everton team.
It was not obvious whether any specific press stories had unsettled him, if social media discourse were a factor, or if it was something deeper from within the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca only sought 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 arrival from Leicester during July last year.