Chelsea's Manager Maresca Describes Lead-Up Period as The 'Toughest 48 Hours' at the Club
Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca revealed that the build-up to the weekend's triumph against Everton represented "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.
The 44-year-old made a somewhat cryptic statement in his post-match media briefing even after notching a 2-0 win at home through strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those crucial points lifted Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, potentially improving the mood after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's drought without a win to consecutive fixtures.
But, when asked about Gusto's contribution and general display, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his annoyance over the preceding 48-hour period at the club.
"How the squad are eager to develop has been excellent and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with a host of issues, they are doing very well after a difficult week," he stated.
"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the most difficult because many people withheld support from us."
When pushed further on his meaning, the former Leicester City boss continued: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."
When asked if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he responded: "In general. In general," before clarifying when asked if it was directed towards supporters or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."
Injury and Suspension Woes
Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent fitness and suspension issues, noting they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, in addition to being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.
"I really applaud the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, five of them minus Moises Caicedo, eleven 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 5 games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer playing, we have said many times that he's our top player but we play almost all season minus our top player.
"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would want people outside to appreciate because the effort from the players is outstanding."
Chelsea's success over Everton consolidated their position in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup last-eight clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled next week.
Uncertainty Over Maresca's Remark
It was not immediately clear what exactly prompted Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his tenure as Chelsea head coach.
In that period, the Italian had traveled back with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, conducted a training session at the training ground, attended a pre-match press briefing where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a win over an in-form Everton team.
It was hard to discern whether any specific press stories had unsettled him, if social media discourse played a role, or if it was something deeper from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an issue 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.