The Boss Enzo Maresca Calls Lead-Up Period as His 'Worst Two Days' with the Club
Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca stated that the run-up to the weekend's victory against Everton represented "the toughest 48 hours" he has experienced at Stamford Bridge.
The Italian delivered a somewhat cryptic comment in his after-game media briefing even after earning a 2-0 win at home 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 mood after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's drought without a win to consecutive matches.
However, when asked about the full-back's contribution and overall performance, Maresca surprisingly divulged his displeasure over the preceding 48-hour period at the club.
"The way the players are eager to develop has been excellent and this is the reason why I praise them - because with so many issues, they are performing admirably after a complicated week," he commented.
"From the moment I arrived at the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because several people withheld support from us."
When pushed further on his meaning, the former Leicester City boss elaborated: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."
When asked if he meant people within at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. Overall," before clarifying when queried if it was directed towards fans or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."
Fitness and Disciplinary Crisis
Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and disciplinary issues, noting they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, in addition to being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to two serious injuries.
"I really commend the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he said.
"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are performing brilliantly. Today was five games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer available, we said many times that he's our top player but we play the vast majority of the season minus our best player.
"We play five 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 externally to appreciate because the work from the players is fantastic."
Chelsea's triumph over Everton strengthened their position in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come next week.
Uncertainty Over Maresca's Remark
It was unclear who or what prompted Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his tenure as Chelsea manager.
In that period, the Italian had returned with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, held a session at the training ground, faced a pre-game news conference where he seemed at ease, and engineered a win over an in-form Everton side.
It was hard to discern whether any particular press stories had unsettled him, if online discourse were a factor, or if it was something deeper from within the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an matter involving the club's fans, a section of which have not yet fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester in July last year.
