Chelsea's Boss Enzo Maresca Calls Lead-Up Period as His 'Toughest Two Days' at the Blues
Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca remarked that the run-up to the weekend's triumph against Everton represented "the toughest 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.
The 44-year-old offered a somewhat cryptic message in his after-game press conference despite securing a 2-0 win at home through strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those crucial points lifted Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, perhaps improving the atmosphere after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's drought without a win to four outings.
Yet, when questioned about the full-back's assist and general display, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his frustration over the previous two days at the organization.
"How the lads are eager to improve has been fantastic and this is the reason why I praise them - because with so many challenges, they are doing very well after a complicated week," he stated.
"Since I joined the club, the previous 48 hours have been the worst because a lot of people didn't support us."
Pressed on what he meant, the former Leicester City manager continued: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."
When questioned if he meant people within at Chelsea, he answered: "In general. Overall," before clarifying when asked if it was directed towards fans or the media: "I adore the fans and we are very pleased with the fans."
Fitness & Disciplinary Woes
Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent injury and disciplinary issues, noting they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, in addition to losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to two significant injuries.
"I truly commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.
"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are performing fantastic. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer available, we have said many times that he's our best player but we play almost all season minus our top player.
"We play 5 games in the Premier League minus 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 recognize because the commitment from the players is remarkable."
Chelsea's win over Everton strengthened their standing in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come in the coming days.
Uncertainty Over Maresca's Comments
It was ambiguous who or what prompted Maresca to describe the past 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 his native Italy, conducted a training session at the training ground, faced a pre-match news conference where he appeared at ease, and secured a victory over an in-form Everton side.
It was unclear whether any particular press stories had irked him, if online discourse played a role, or if it was something deeper from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca only sought to deny that it was an matter related to the club's fans, some of whom have still have yet to fully warm to him since his appointment from Leicester during July last year.