Chelsea's Boss Enzo Maresca Describes Lead-Up Time as His 'Worst Two Days' at the Blues
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the preparation to the weekend's triumph against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" of his tenure at Stamford Bridge.
The 44-year-old offered a rather mysterious comment in his post-match media briefing despite notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those points sent Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, potentially lightening the atmosphere after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's drought without a win to consecutive outings.
Yet, when asked about Gusto's assist and overall performance, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his displeasure over the preceding two days at the club.
"The way the squad are eager to learn has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I praise them - because with so many problems, they are excelling after a difficult week," he commented.
"Since I joined the club, the past 48 hours have been the most difficult because several people withheld support from us."
When pushed further on the specifics, the former Leicester City boss added: "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 responded: "Broadly speaking. In general," before clarifying when asked if it was directed towards fans or the media: "I adore the fans and we are very happy with the fans."
Fitness and Suspension Woes
Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and suspension issues, noting they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, as well as 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, 5 of them minus Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them without Liam Delap," he said.
"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are performing exceptionally. Today was five games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer playing, we said many times that he's our best player but we play almost all season without our best player.
"We play five 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 outside to acknowledge because the commitment from the players is outstanding."
Chelsea's triumph over Everton cemented their position in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled next week.
Uncertainty Over Maresca's Remark
It was not immediately clear who or what prompted Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his time as Chelsea manager.
In that period, 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 side.
It was hard to discern whether any particular media reports had unsettled him, if social media discourse played a role, or if it was something deeper from within the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca only sought to deny 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 appointment from Leicester in July last year.
