Chelsea's Manager Maresca Labels Pre-Match Period as The 'Most Difficult Two Days' at the Blues

Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca remarked that the build-up to Saturday's win against Everton constituted "the toughest 48 hours" he has experienced at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old offered a rather mysterious statement in his after-game interview even after securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points lifted Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps lightening the mood after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's drought without a win to consecutive fixtures.

Yet, when questioned about the full-back's contribution and general display, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his displeasure over the preceding two days within the organization.

"The way the squad want to learn has been excellent and this is the explanation why I praise them - because with numerous issues, they are excelling after a tricky week," he said.

"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the most difficult because a lot of people failed to back us."

Pressed on the specifics, the ex- Leicester City boss 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 responded: "In general. In general," before clarifying when queried if it was directed towards supporters or the press: "I love the fans and we are very content with the fans."

Injury & Disciplinary Woes

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and suspension problems, noting they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, as well as being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to two serious injuries.

"I really applaud the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them minus Moises Caicedo, 11 of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are performing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer there, we have said many times that he's our best player but we play the vast majority of the season without our top player.

"We play five 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 recognize because the effort from the players is fantastic."

Chelsea's success over Everton cemented their position in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come next week.

Speculation Over Maresca's Remark

It was ambiguous who or what caused Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea manager.

In that window, the coach had traveled back with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, held a training session at the training ground, attended a pre-match news conference where he appeared relaxed, and secured a victory over an high-flying 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 inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to deny that it was an matter involving the club's supporters, a section of which have not yet fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester during July last year.