Chelsea's Manager Maresca Labels Pre-Match Time as His 'Worst 48 Hours' with the Blues
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the build-up to the weekend's triumph against Everton represented "the worst 48 hours" he has experienced at Stamford Bridge.
The 44-year-old made a puzzling message in his after-game interview despite earning a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those crucial points propelled Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, potentially improving the atmosphere following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's drought without a win to consecutive outings.
Yet, when questioned about Gusto's assist and overall performance, Maresca surprisingly shared his frustration over the previous two days within the organization.
"The way the squad are eager to develop has been fantastic and this is the reason why I commend them - because with numerous issues, they are performing admirably after a tricky week," he said.
"Since I joined the club, the past 48 hours have been the worst because several people withheld support from us."
When pushed further on what he meant, the former Leicester City boss continued: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."
When questioned if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. In general," before specifying when asked if it was directed towards supporters or the press: "I adore the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."
Injury and Suspension Crisis
Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing fitness and suspension problems, noting they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for much of the season, in addition to being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.
"I truly praise 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 minus Liam Delap," he said.
"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are performing fantastic. Today was 5 games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our top player but we play the vast majority of the season without 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 outside to acknowledge because the effort from the players is remarkable."
Chelsea's win over Everton strengthened their standing in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.
Speculation Over Maresca's Comments
It was ambiguous what exactly caused Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his spell as Chelsea manager.
In that window, the Italian had traveled back with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, held a session at Cobham, faced a pre-match news conference where he appeared at ease, and secured a victory over an in-form Everton team.
It was not obvious whether any particular media reports had irked him, if social media comments played a role, or if it was something deeper from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an matter involving the club's fans, a section of which have still have yet to fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester in July last year.
