Chelsea's Boss Maresca Calls Pre-Match Time as The 'Toughest 48 Hours' with the Blues
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca remarked that the build-up to the weekend's win against Everton was "the toughest 48 hours" he has experienced with the London club.
The 44-year-old delivered a puzzling message in his after-game press conference despite earning a 2-0 win at home through strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those crucial points lifted Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, perhaps lightening the atmosphere following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's winless run to consecutive outings.
Yet, when asked about Gusto's assist and overall display, Maresca surprisingly shared his annoyance over the previous 48-hour period at the organization.
"The way the players are eager to develop has been excellent and this is the reason why I commend them - because with numerous challenges, they are doing very well after a difficult week," he commented.
"Since I joined the club, the previous 48 hours have been the toughest because a lot of people failed to back us."
When pushed further on the specifics, the former Leicester City boss added: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team."
When questioned if he meant people within at Chelsea, he responded: "Broadly speaking. In general," before specifying when asked if it was aimed at fans or the press: "I adore the fans and we are very happy with the fans."
Fitness and Disciplinary Crisis
Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary problems, noting they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, as well as being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker 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 minus Cole Palmer, nearly every one 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 playing, we said many times that he's our best player but we play almost all season minus our top player.
"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would want people outside to recognize because the effort from the players is remarkable."
Chelsea's success over Everton strengthened their standing 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 Remark
It was unclear who or what caused Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the worst of his tenure as Chelsea head coach.
In that period, the Italian had traveled back with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at the training ground, faced a pre-match press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and secured a win over an in-form Everton side.
It was unclear whether any particular press stories had irked him, if social media discourse played a role, or if it was something more significant from within the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca only sought to deny that it was an issue related to the club's fans, some of whom have still have yet to fully warm to him since his appointment from Leicester in July last year.
