Chelsea's Boss Maresca Calls Pre-Match Period as The 'Worst Two Days' at the Club

Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca revealed that the build-up to the weekend's triumph against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" of his tenure at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian delivered a somewhat cryptic comment in his after-game press conference despite securing a 2-0 win at home thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points propelled Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, perhaps improving the mood following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's drought without a win to consecutive matches.

Yet, when questioned about the full-back's contribution and general performance, Maresca surprisingly shared his frustration over the previous two days at the club.

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

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

When pushed further on the specifics, the ex- Leicester City manager added: "Most difficult 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 answered: "In general. Overall," before clarifying when queried if it was directed towards fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."

Fitness and Suspension Crisis

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and disciplinary problems, noting they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, in addition to losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

"I truly applaud the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are performing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer playing, we said many times that he's our top player but we play the vast majority of the season minus our top player.

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

Chelsea's win over Everton strengthened their position in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come in the coming days.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Comments

It was not immediately clear what exactly prompted Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the worst of his spell as Chelsea manager.

In that period, the Italian had returned with his staff and players from Bergamo, held a session at Cobham, attended a pre-match press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and secured a victory over an high-flying Everton team.

It was unclear whether any specific press stories had unsettled him, if social media comments played a role, or if it was something deeper from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an issue involving the club's fans, some of whom have still have yet to fully warm to him since his appointment from Leicester in July last year.