Chelsea's Manager Enzo Maresca Labels Lead-Up Time as The 'Most Difficult Two Days' with the Club
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the preparation to the weekend's triumph against Everton represented "the toughest 48 hours" he has experienced at Stamford Bridge.
The Italian delivered a rather mysterious comment in his after-game media briefing even after securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those crucial points propelled Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, potentially improving the atmosphere following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's winless run to consecutive fixtures.
However, when questioned about Gusto's assist and general display, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his annoyance over the previous 48-hour period within the organization.
"The way the lads are eager to develop has been superb and this is the reason why I commend them - because with numerous challenges, they are excelling after a difficult week," he said.
"Since I joined the club, the past 48 hours have been the worst because many people failed to back us."
Pressed on his meaning, the former Leicester City manager elaborated: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."
When questioned if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he responded: "Broadly speaking. In general," before clarifying when queried if it was directed towards fans or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."
Fitness and Suspension Crisis
Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's persistent fitness and suspension problems, remarking they had been missing star attacker 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 commend the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them minus Moises Caicedo, eleven of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he said.
"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are doing fantastic. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer playing, we said many times that he's our finest player but we play almost all season without our best 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 recognize because the work from the players is remarkable."
Chelsea's win over Everton consolidated their position in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup last-eight tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come in the coming days.
Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Remark
It was not immediately clear 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 returned with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, conducted a session at the training ground, faced a pre-match press briefing where he seemed at ease, and engineered a win over an high-flying Everton side.
It was unclear whether any specific media reports had unsettled him, if social media discourse played a role, or if it was something deeper from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an issue involving the club's supporters, some of whom have not yet fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester in July 2024.