The Manager Enzo Maresca Labels Lead-Up Time as The 'Most Difficult 48 Hours' with the Club
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca remarked that the preparation to Saturday's triumph against Everton constituted "the toughest 48 hours" he has experienced with the London club.
The 44-year-old delivered a rather mysterious message in his after-game media briefing despite notching a 2-0 win at home courtesy of strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those points lifted Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, potentially improving the atmosphere following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's winless run to consecutive fixtures.
Yet, when asked about the full-back's contribution and overall performance, Maresca unexpectedly shared his frustration over the previous 48-hour period within the club.
"The way the lads are eager to improve has been excellent and this is the reason why I applaud them - because with numerous problems, they are excelling after a complicated week," he commented.
"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because a lot of people didn't support us."
Pressed on his meaning, the former Leicester City boss added: "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 replied: "In general. In general," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the media: "I adore the fans and we are very pleased with the fans."
Fitness & Disciplinary Woes
Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing injury and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, as well as being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to two serious injuries.
"I really 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, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.
"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are performing exceptionally. Today was five games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer there, we have said many times that he's our finest player but we play the vast majority of the season without our best player.
"We play 5 games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so pleased 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 triumph over Everton cemented their standing in fourth in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come next week.
Uncertainty Over Maresca's Comments
It was not immediately clear who or what prompted Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea head coach.
In that window, the Italian had returned with his staff and players from Bergamo, held a training session at the training ground, faced a pre-game news conference where he appeared at ease, and secured a victory over an in-form Everton team.
It was not obvious whether any particular media reports had irked him, if online comments played a role, or if it was something more significant from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to deny that it was an matter related to the club's supporters, some of whom have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester during July last year.
