Chelsea's Manager Enzo Maresca Describes Lead-Up Time as The 'Worst 48 Hours' with the Club

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca remarked that the build-up to Saturday's win against Everton constituted "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.

The Italian delivered a puzzling comment in his after-game media briefing despite securing a 2-0 win at home through goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those crucial points lifted Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, potentially lightening the atmosphere following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's winless run to consecutive outings.

But, when asked about Gusto's contribution and overall display, Maresca surprisingly shared his annoyance over the previous 48-hour period within the organization.

"The way the squad want to learn has been fantastic and this is the reason why I applaud them - because with so many challenges, they are doing very well after a tricky week," he stated.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the last 48 hours have been the most difficult because a lot of people failed to back us."

When pushed further on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City manager continued: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When questioned if he meant people within at Chelsea, he answered: "In general. In general," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at supporters or the media: "I adore the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."

Fitness and Disciplinary Crisis

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's persistent injury and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, as well as losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to two significant injuries.

"I truly applaud the players and the squad because we 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 explained.

"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are doing exceptionally. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer available, we have said many times that he's our top player but we play almost all season without our top 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 outside to appreciate because the commitment from the players is fantastic."

Chelsea's success over Everton consolidated their standing in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come next week.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Remark

It was not immediately clear who or what prompted Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his time as Chelsea head coach.

In that period, the coach had traveled back with his staff and players from his native Italy, held a training session at Cobham, faced a pre-game press briefing where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton team.

It was not obvious whether any specific press stories had unsettled him, if social media comments were a factor, or if it was something deeper from within the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to deny that it was an issue involving the club's supporters, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester during July last year.