Chelsea's Boss Enzo Maresca Labels Lead-Up Time as The 'Toughest Two Days' at the Club

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca remarked that the run-up to the weekend's victory against Everton was "the toughest 48 hours" of his tenure at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian made a puzzling message in his after-game press conference despite notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge through strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points propelled Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, perhaps lightening the mood after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's winless run to consecutive fixtures.

But, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and general performance, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his frustration over the previous 48-hour period at the organization.

"The way the players want to learn has been excellent and this is the explanation why I praise them - because with numerous challenges, they are excelling after a difficult week," he said.

"Since I joined the club, the previous 48 hours have been the worst because a lot of people withheld support from us."

When pushed further on his meaning, the ex- 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 meant people internally at Chelsea, he replied: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before clarifying when asked if it was aimed at fans or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."

Injury & Suspension Crisis

Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary problems, remarking they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, as well as losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker 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 without Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them without Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are performing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer playing, we have said many times that he's our best player but we play the vast majority of the season without our best player.

"We play five games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would like people externally to recognize because the commitment from the players is remarkable."

Chelsea's win over Everton strengthened their position in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup last-eight tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Remark

It was ambiguous who or what caused Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the worst of his spell as Chelsea manager.

In that timeframe, the Italian had returned with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at Cobham, attended a pre-match press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a win over an in-form Everton team.

It was not obvious whether any particular press stories had unsettled him, if online comments played a role, 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 related to the club's fans, some of whom have not yet fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester during July last year.