The Boss Maresca Calls Lead-Up Period as The 'Worst Two Days' at the Blues

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca remarked that the run-up to Saturday's triumph against Everton represented "the toughest 48 hours" he has experienced with the London club.

The 44-year-old offered a puzzling message in his after-game press conference even after earning a 2-0 win at home through goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points lifted Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, perhaps improving the mood after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's winless run to consecutive outings.

Yet, when questioned about Gusto's assist and general performance, Maresca unexpectedly disclosed his frustration over the previous two days at the club.

"How the players are eager to learn has been excellent and this is the reason why I applaud them - because with a host of challenges, they are excelling after a difficult week," he said.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the last 48 hours have been the toughest because several people withheld support from us."

Pressed on his meaning, the ex- Leicester City boss continued: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When questioned if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he replied: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before specifying when asked if it was directed towards supporters or the media: "I adore the fans and we are very content with the fans."

Injury & Suspension Woes

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and disciplinary issues, noting they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, in addition to being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

"I really praise the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, five of them minus 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 playing, they are performing exceptionally. Today was 5 games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer available, we said many times that he's our best player but we play almost all season without our top player.

"We play five 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 appreciate because the work from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's win over Everton strengthened 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 unclear what exactly caused Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his time as Chelsea head coach.

In that period, the coach had returned with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a session at Cobham, faced a pre-match press briefing where he seemed at ease, and engineered a win over an in-form Everton side.

It was hard to discern whether any specific press stories had unsettled him, if online comments played a role, or if it was something deeper from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an matter related to the club's fans, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester during July last year.