Chelsea's Boss Enzo Maresca Calls Lead-Up Time as The 'Worst Two Days' with the Blues

Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca revealed that the preparation to the weekend's triumph against Everton constituted "the worst 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.

The 44-year-old made a somewhat cryptic message in his after-game press conference even after securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge through finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points sent Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps lightening the atmosphere after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's winless run to consecutive outings.

However, when asked about Gusto's contribution and overall performance, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his annoyance over the previous 48-hour period at the club.

"The way the squad want to develop has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with a host of challenges, they are performing admirably after a tricky week," he commented.

"Since I joined the club, the previous 48 hours have been the worst because many people failed to back us."

Pressed on the specifics, the former Leicester City boss continued: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When questioned if he meant people within at Chelsea, he answered: "In general. In general," before specifying when queried if it was directed towards supporters or the press: "I love the fans and we are very content with the fans."

Injury and Suspension Crisis

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing injury and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, in addition to losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

"I truly commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, eleven of them without Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are doing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer available, we said many times that he's our top 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 reason why I'm so delighted 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 success over Everton cemented their position in 4th place 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.

Uncertainty Over Maresca's Comments

It was unclear what exactly caused Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea head coach.

In that window, the coach had returned with his staff and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at the training ground, faced a pre-game news conference where he appeared relaxed, and secured a win over an in-form Everton team.

It was unclear whether any particular press stories had irked him, if social media comments were a factor, or if it was something more significant from within the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to deny that it was an matter involving the club's supporters, some of whom have still have yet to fully warm to him since his appointment from Leicester in July 2024.