Chelsea's Boss Maresca Describes Lead-Up Period as His 'Most Difficult Two Days' at the Club

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the build-up to Saturday's victory against Everton represented "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old made a rather mysterious comment in his after-game press conference despite earning a 2-0 win at home courtesy of finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those crucial points sent Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, potentially improving the atmosphere after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's drought without a win to consecutive fixtures.

But, when questioned about the full-back's contribution and general display, Maresca surprisingly disclosed his displeasure over the preceding 48-hour period within the club.

"How the lads want to learn has been superb and this is the explanation why I praise them - because with so many issues, they are excelling after a difficult week," he said.

"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because several people didn't support us."

Pressed on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City manager added: "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 replied: "In general. Overall," before clarifying when asked if it was aimed at supporters or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."

Fitness & Disciplinary Woes

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing injury and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, as well as being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

"I really applaud the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are performing fantastic. Today was five 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 the vast majority of the season minus our best player.

"We play 5 games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would want people outside to appreciate because the commitment from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's win over Everton strengthened their position in fourth in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup last-eight tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come next week.

Uncertainty Over Maresca's Comments

It was not immediately clear what exactly prompted Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his spell as Chelsea manager.

In that period, the Italian had returned with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, held a session at Cobham, faced a pre-match press briefing where he appeared at ease, and engineered a win over an high-flying Everton team.

It was hard to discern whether any specific press stories had irked him, if online comments were a factor, or if it was something more significant from within the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an matter related to the club's supporters, some of whom have still have yet to fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester in July last year.