Chelsea's Boss Enzo Maresca Calls Lead-Up Period as The 'Toughest Two Days' with the Club

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca remarked that the build-up to the weekend's win against Everton constituted "the worst 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.

The 44-year-old delivered a rather mysterious statement in his after-game interview despite securing a 2-0 win at home thanks to finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points sent Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps lightening the mood following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's winless run to four outings.

But, when questioned about Gusto's assist and general performance, Maresca surprisingly shared his frustration over the previous 48-hour period within the club.

"How the lads want to improve has been excellent and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with so many issues, they are doing very well after a tricky week," he commented.

"Since I joined the club, the past 48 hours have been the worst because a lot of people didn't support us."

When pushed further on what he meant, the former Leicester City manager added: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When asked if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he answered: "Broadly speaking. In general," before clarifying when asked if it was aimed at supporters or the media: "I love the fans and we are very pleased with the fans."

Fitness & Disciplinary Crisis

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's persistent injury and disciplinary issues, noting they had been without 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 striker Liam Delap to two significant injuries.

"I really applaud the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are performing exceptionally. Today was 5 games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer playing, we have said many times that he's our best player but we play almost all season minus our top player.

"We play 5 games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would like people externally to recognize because the effort from the players is remarkable."

Chelsea's win over Everton strengthened their standing in fourth in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup last-eight clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come in the coming days.

Uncertainty Over Maresca's Remark

It was ambiguous who or what prompted Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his spell as Chelsea manager.

In that timeframe, the coach had traveled back with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at Cobham, faced a pre-game press briefing where he appeared at ease, and secured a victory over an in-form Everton team.

It was unclear whether any particular media reports had unsettled him, if online comments were a factor, or if it was something deeper from within the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to deny that it was an matter related to the club's fans, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester in July last year.