Chelsea's Boss Maresca Labels Lead-Up Time as The 'Most Difficult 48 Hours' at the Club
Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca revealed that the build-up to the weekend's victory against Everton represented "the toughest 48 hours" since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.
The Italian delivered a puzzling message in his post-match interview despite securing a 2-0 win at home thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those points sent Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, potentially improving the mood following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's drought without a win to consecutive fixtures.
However, when questioned about the full-back's contribution and general performance, Maresca surprisingly disclosed his frustration over the previous two days within the organization.
"How the players are eager to improve has been superb and this is the reason why I commend them - because with a host of issues, they are excelling after a tricky week," he stated.
"From the moment I arrived at the club, the last 48 hours have been the most difficult because many people didn't support us."
When pushed further on what he meant, the former Leicester City manager continued: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."
When asked if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he responded: "Broadly speaking. In general," before clarifying when queried if it was directed towards supporters or the media: "I adore the fans and we are very happy with the fans."
Fitness & Disciplinary Woes
Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's persistent injury and suspension problems, noting they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, in addition to being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.
"I truly commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them minus 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 performing exceptionally. Today was five games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer playing, we have said many times that he's our finest player but we play almost all season without our best player.
"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to recognize because the effort from the players is fantastic."
Chelsea's win over Everton consolidated their position in fourth in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup last-eight tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled next week.
Speculation Regarding Maresca's Comments
It was ambiguous who or what prompted Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his time as Chelsea head coach.
In that timeframe, the coach had returned with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a session at the training ground, attended a pre-match news conference where he appeared at ease, and engineered a victory over an in-form Everton team.
It was not obvious whether any particular press stories had irked him, if social media discourse were a factor, or if it was something deeper from inside the club 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 embrace him since his appointment from Leicester in July last year.