The Boss Maresca Describes Lead-Up Period as His 'Worst 48 Hours' at the Club
Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca stated that the run-up to Saturday's win against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.
The 44-year-old delivered a rather mysterious comment in his after-game interview despite securing a 2-0 win at home courtesy of finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those points sent Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, potentially improving the atmosphere following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's drought without a win to four outings.
Yet, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and overall performance, Maresca surprisingly shared his frustration over the preceding two days at the organization.
"The way the lads are eager to improve has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with so many challenges, they are performing admirably after a tricky week," he said.
"From the moment I arrived at the club, the previous 48 hours have been the most difficult because many people withheld support from us."
When pushed further on his meaning, the former Leicester City boss added: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."
When asked if he meant people within at Chelsea, he answered: "In general. In general," before specifying when asked if it was aimed at fans or the press: "I love the fans and we are very pleased with the fans."
Injury and Disciplinary Woes
Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and suspension problems, noting they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for much of the season, in addition to being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to two serious injuries.
"I truly commend the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them without Moises Caicedo, eleven of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.
"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are doing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer available, we said many times that he's our finest player but we play almost all season without our top player.
"We play five 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 want people externally to appreciate because the effort from the players is remarkable."
Chelsea's win over Everton strengthened their position in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come next week.
Speculation Over Maresca's Comments
It was unclear who or what prompted Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the worst of his spell as Chelsea head coach.
In that window, the Italian had returned with his staff and players from his native Italy, held a session at the training ground, faced a pre-game press briefing where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a win over an high-flying Everton side.
It was not obvious whether any specific press stories had irked him, if social media comments played a role, or if it was something more significant from within the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an matter related to the club's supporters, a section of which have not yet fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester in July last year.