Chelsea's Boss Maresca Labels Lead-Up Period as His 'Worst Two Days' at the Club
Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca revealed that the build-up to Saturday's victory against Everton constituted "the most challenging 48 hours" since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.
The Italian made a somewhat cryptic comment in his post-match press conference despite earning a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge through strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those points propelled Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, perhaps improving the mood following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's winless run to consecutive matches.
Yet, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and general performance, Maresca unexpectedly shared his annoyance over the previous 48-hour period at the organization.
"How the squad are eager to learn has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with a host of problems, they are performing admirably after a tricky week," he commented.
"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the toughest because a lot of people withheld support from us."
When pushed further on what he meant, the former Leicester City boss added: "Most difficult 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: "In general. Overall," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the press: "I adore the fans and we are very happy with the fans."
Injury & Disciplinary Crisis
Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's persistent injury and suspension problems, remarking they had been without key forward 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 two significant injuries.
"I really commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, eleven of them minus Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.
"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are performing exceptionally. 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 without our best player.
"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would want people outside to acknowledge because the effort from the players is fantastic."
Chelsea's win over Everton cemented their position in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come in the coming days.
Speculation Regarding Maresca's Comments
It was ambiguous who or what prompted Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the worst of his tenure as Chelsea manager.
In that timeframe, the coach had returned with his staff and players from his native Italy, held a session at Cobham, attended a pre-match news conference where he seemed at ease, and engineered a victory over an in-form Everton side.
It was unclear whether any specific press stories had unsettled him, if social media discourse were a factor, or if it was something deeper from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to deny that it was an matter involving the club's fans, a section of which have not yet fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester during July last year.
