Chelsea's Manager Maresca Describes Pre-Match Period as The 'Worst 48 Hours' with the Club
Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca stated that the preparation to the weekend's victory against Everton represented "the worst 48 hours" he has experienced with the London club.
The Italian offered a rather mysterious comment in his after-game press conference even after earning a 2-0 win at home thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those crucial points lifted Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, potentially lightening the mood following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's winless run to four outings.
However, when questioned about the full-back's contribution and general performance, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his annoyance over the previous 48-hour period within the club.
"The way the players want to learn has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with a host of issues, they are performing admirably after a complicated week," he commented.
"Since I joined the club, the past 48 hours have been the most difficult because a lot of people withheld support from us."
When pushed further on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City manager elaborated: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team."
When questioned if he meant people within at Chelsea, he answered: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at supporters or the media: "I love the fans and we are very happy with the fans."
Fitness & Suspension Crisis
Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's persistent injury and suspension problems, noting they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, as well as being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.
"I really applaud the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, eleven of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he said.
"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are performing fantastic. Today was 5 games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer playing, we said many times that he's our best player but we play almost all season minus our best player.
"We play 5 games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would want people outside to acknowledge because the effort from the players is remarkable."
Chelsea's success over Everton strengthened their position in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.
Speculation Regarding Maresca's Comments
It was unclear who or what prompted Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the worst of his spell as Chelsea head coach.
In that period, the coach had returned with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, conducted a training session at Cobham, attended a pre-game news conference where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton team.
It was unclear whether any specific media reports had irked him, if online discourse were a factor, or if it was something more significant from inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an issue involving the club's fans, some of whom have not yet fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester in July 2024.
