The Manager Maresca Labels Lead-Up Time as His 'Worst 48 Hours' with the Blues

Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca stated that the preparation to Saturday's triumph against Everton represented "the most challenging 48 hours" he has experienced at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old made a somewhat cryptic message in his post-match press conference despite earning a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge through goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points lifted Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, potentially improving the atmosphere following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's drought without a win to consecutive matches.

Yet, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and overall performance, Maresca unexpectedly shared his displeasure over the preceding two days within the organization.

"The way the lads want to develop has been excellent and this is the reason why I praise them - because with so many problems, they are doing very well after a difficult week," he said.

"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because many people didn't support us."

Pressed on his meaning, the ex- 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 was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he answered: "Broadly speaking. In general," before clarifying when asked if it was directed towards fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."

Injury and Disciplinary Crisis

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

"I truly commend the players and the squad because we 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 doing fantastic. Today was 5 games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer there, we 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 happy for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to acknowledge because the effort from the players is remarkable."

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

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Remark

It was unclear who or what caused Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his tenure as Chelsea manager.

In that period, the Italian had traveled back with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, held a session at Cobham, faced a pre-game news conference where he appeared at ease, and engineered a victory over an in-form Everton side.

It was unclear whether any particular press stories had unsettled him, if social media comments 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 issue related to the club's fans, some of whom have not yet fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester in July last year.