Chelsea's Boss Maresca Describes Pre-Match Period as His 'Most Difficult 48 Hours' with the Club
Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca revealed that the build-up to the weekend's triumph against Everton was "the most challenging 48 hours" he has experienced at Stamford Bridge.
The 44-year-old delivered a puzzling message in his after-game media briefing despite earning a 2-0 win at home through goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those three precious points sent Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, perhaps improving the atmosphere after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's drought without a win to four matches.
But, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and general display, Maresca unexpectedly disclosed his frustration over the previous two days at the club.
"How the lads are eager to develop has been fantastic and this is the reason why I applaud them - because with so many problems, they are performing admirably after a complicated week," he said.
"From the moment I arrived at the club, the past 48 hours have been the toughest because a lot of people failed to back us."
Pressed on his meaning, the ex- Leicester City boss continued: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."
When asked if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he responded: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before specifying when asked if it was directed towards supporters or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."
Injury & Suspension Crisis
Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's persistent injury and disciplinary problems, remarking they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for much of the season, in addition to being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.
"I really commend 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 said.
"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are performing brilliantly. Today was 5 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 minus our top player.
"We play 5 games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to appreciate because the effort from the players is remarkable."
Chelsea's triumph over Everton consolidated their position in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled next week.
Speculation Regarding Maresca's Comments
It was unclear what exactly prompted Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the worst of his tenure as Chelsea manager.
In that window, the Italian had returned with his staff and players from Bergamo, held a training session at Cobham, faced a pre-match news conference where he seemed at ease, and secured a victory over an high-flying Everton side.
It was hard to discern whether any particular press stories had unsettled him, if online discourse played a role, or if it was something deeper from inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an issue related to the club's supporters, some of whom have not yet fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester during July last year.
