The Boss Maresca Calls Pre-Match Time as His 'Worst 48 Hours' at the Blues

Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca remarked that the build-up to Saturday's win against Everton constituted "the most challenging 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.

The 44-year-old offered a puzzling statement in his post-match interview despite earning a 2-0 win at home through goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those crucial points lifted Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, perhaps lightening the atmosphere following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's drought without a win to consecutive outings.

Yet, when asked about the full-back's contribution and overall display, Maresca unexpectedly disclosed his annoyance over the previous two days within the organization.

"The way the lads want to learn has been superb and this is the reason why I praise them - because with so many problems, they are performing admirably after a difficult week," he stated.

"Since I joined the club, the past 48 hours have been the worst because several people withheld support from us."

Pressed on the specifics, the former Leicester City manager continued: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When questioned if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. Overall," before specifying when asked if it was aimed at fans or the press: "I love the fans and we are very content with the fans."

Fitness & Suspension Woes

Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's ongoing injury and disciplinary problems, remarking they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, in addition to losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to two serious injuries.

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

"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are performing exceptionally. Today was 5 games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer playing, we said many times that he's our finest player but we play almost all season minus our top player.

"We play 5 games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to appreciate because the commitment from the players is remarkable."

Chelsea's triumph over Everton strengthened their standing in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup last-eight tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.

Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Comments

It was ambiguous what exactly caused Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his tenure as Chelsea head coach.

In that window, the coach had returned with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, held a training session at Cobham, attended a pre-game press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton side.

It was hard to discern whether any specific press stories had unsettled him, if online comments played a role, or if it was something deeper from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to deny that it was an issue involving 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.