The Manager Maresca Labels Pre-Match Time as His 'Toughest Two Days' with the Club
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the build-up to the weekend's victory against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" he has experienced with the London club.
The Italian delivered a somewhat cryptic statement in his post-match 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 Premier League's top four, perhaps improving the atmosphere following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's drought without a win to four fixtures.
Yet, when asked about Gusto's contribution and overall display, Maresca unexpectedly shared his frustration over the previous 48-hour period within the club.
"The way the players want to improve has been superb and this is the reason why I praise them - because with so many issues, they are performing admirably after a complicated week," he commented.
"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 manager elaborated: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team."
When questioned if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. In general," before specifying when asked if it was directed towards supporters or the media: "I adore the fans and we are very happy with the fans."
Injury & Disciplinary Woes
Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, as well as losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to two significant injuries.
"I really commend the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, eleven of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he explained.
"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are doing brilliantly. Today was five games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer available, we have said many times that he's our top player but we play the vast majority of the season minus our best player.
"We play 5 games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would want people externally to recognize because the work from the players is fantastic."
Chelsea's win over Everton consolidated their standing in fourth in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup last-eight tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come next week.
Speculation Regarding Maresca's Remark
It was ambiguous what exactly caused Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his tenure as Chelsea head coach.
In that period, the coach had returned with his staff and players from his native Italy, held a training session at Cobham, faced a pre-game news conference where he appeared at ease, and secured a victory over an in-form Everton team.
It was hard to discern whether any particular press stories had unsettled him, if social media comments were a factor, or if it was something deeper from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an issue related to the club's supporters, some of whom have not yet fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester during July 2024.
