The Boss Enzo Maresca Labels Lead-Up Period as His 'Toughest 48 Hours' with the Club

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the preparation to the weekend's triumph against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" he has experienced at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian delivered a rather mysterious comment in his after-game media briefing despite securing a 2-0 win at home courtesy of strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points sent Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, potentially improving the mood after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's drought without a win to four matches.

Yet, when asked about the full-back's contribution and general performance, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his annoyance over the previous 48-hour period within the organization.

"The way the players want to develop has been excellent and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with so many issues, they are excelling after a difficult week," he commented.

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

Pressed on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City boss continued: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When questioned if he meant people within at Chelsea, he responded: "In general. Overall," before clarifying when queried if it was directed towards supporters or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."

Injury & Disciplinary Woes

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's persistent injury and suspension issues, noting they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for much of the season, in addition to being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to two serious injuries.

"I truly applaud the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them minus Moises Caicedo, 11 of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are doing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer playing, we have said many times that he's our top 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 explanation why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to appreciate because the effort from the players is remarkable."

Chelsea's triumph over Everton cemented 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 scheduled next week.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Remark

It was not immediately clear what exactly caused Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea manager.

In that window, the Italian had returned with his staff and players from Bergamo, held a session at Cobham, faced a pre-game news conference where he appeared relaxed, and secured a victory over an in-form Everton side.

It was hard to discern whether any specific press stories had irked him, if social media discourse played a role, or if it was something deeper from within the club at Stamford Bridge.

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