Chelsea's Boss Maresca Describes Pre-Match Time as His 'Worst Two Days' with the Blues
Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca revealed that the run-up to the weekend's win against Everton constituted "the toughest 48 hours" since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.
The 44-year-old delivered a puzzling comment in his after-game press conference despite securing a 2-0 win at home thanks to strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those crucial points sent Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, potentially lightening the atmosphere following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's drought without a win to four outings.
However, when questioned about Gusto's assist and overall performance, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his frustration over the previous two days at the club.
"The way the lads want to develop has been excellent and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with numerous problems, they are excelling after a complicated week," he stated.
"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because many people didn't support us."
Pressed on the specifics, the former Leicester City boss continued: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."
When asked if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he replied: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before clarifying when queried if it was directed towards fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."
Injury and Disciplinary Woes
Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's ongoing injury and disciplinary issues, noting they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for much of the season, as well as being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of serious injuries.
"I truly commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them without Moises Caicedo, eleven of them without Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he said.
"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are doing exceptionally. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer playing, we have said many times that he's our best player but we play almost all 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 externally to appreciate because the effort from the players is remarkable."
Chelsea's success over Everton strengthened their standing 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 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 coach had traveled back with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, conducted a session at the training ground, attended a pre-game press briefing where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton team.
It was not obvious whether any particular media reports had unsettled him, if social media discourse were a factor, or if it was something deeper from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca only sought to deny that it was an issue related to the club's fans, a section of which have not yet fully warm to him since his appointment from Leicester during July last year.
