Chelsea's Boss Maresca Labels Pre-Match Period as His 'Worst Two Days' with the Club

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the build-up to Saturday's victory against Everton represented "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.

The 44-year-old delivered a somewhat cryptic message in his after-game media briefing despite notching a 2-0 win at home through strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those crucial points lifted Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, perhaps improving the atmosphere after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's drought without a win to four fixtures.

But, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and overall performance, Maresca surprisingly shared his frustration over the previous two days within the club.

"The way the squad are eager to develop has been superb and this is the reason why I applaud them - because with numerous problems, they are excelling after a difficult week," he said.

"Since I joined the club, the previous 48 hours have been the most difficult because a lot of people didn't support us."

When pushed further on what he meant, the former Leicester City boss elaborated: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When questioned if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. Overall," before specifying when asked if it was aimed at fans or the media: "I adore the fans and we are very content with the fans."

Injury and Suspension Crisis

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and suspension issues, noting they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, in addition to being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of serious injuries.

"I really applaud 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 said.

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are performing brilliantly. Today was five games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our finest player but we play the vast majority of the season minus our top player.

"We play five games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would want people outside to acknowledge because the commitment from the players is outstanding."

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

Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Comments

It was unclear who or what caused Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his spell as Chelsea head coach.

In that window, the Italian had returned with his staff and players from Bergamo, held a session at Cobham, attended a pre-match press briefing where he seemed at ease, and secured a victory over an in-form Everton team.

It was unclear whether any specific press stories had unsettled him, if social media comments played a role, or if it was something more significant from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

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