Chelsea's Boss Maresca Describes Lead-Up Period as His 'Worst 48 Hours' at the Club
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the run-up to Saturday's win against Everton represented "the toughest 48 hours" since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.
The Italian offered a puzzling message in his after-game interview even after earning a 2-0 win at home through goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those crucial points propelled Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps lightening the mood following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's drought without a win to four outings.
Yet, when questioned about Gusto's assist and overall display, Maresca unexpectedly disclosed his annoyance over the previous two days within the organization.
"How the squad want to learn has been superb and this is the reason why I commend them - because with a host of issues, they are doing very well after a tricky week," he commented.
"Since I joined the club, the past 48 hours have been the most difficult because several people failed to back us."
When pushed further on what he meant, the former Leicester City manager elaborated: "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 responded: "Broadly speaking. In general," before clarifying when queried if it was aimed at supporters or the media: "I love the fans and we are very content with the fans."
Fitness and Disciplinary Woes
Maresca also pointed to 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 linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to two serious 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 minus Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he said.
"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are doing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our top player but we play the vast majority of the season minus our top player.
"We play 5 games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to acknowledge because the commitment from the players is remarkable."
Chelsea's win over Everton strengthened their standing in fourth in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup last-eight tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come in the coming days.
Speculation Regarding Maresca's Remark
It was ambiguous who or what prompted Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the worst of his spell as Chelsea manager.
In that window, the coach had traveled back with his staff and players from Bergamo, held a session at the training ground, attended a pre-match news conference where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a win over an high-flying Everton side.
It was hard to discern whether any specific media reports had unsettled him, if social media discourse were a factor, or if it was something more significant from inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an issue related to the club's supporters, some of whom have still have yet to fully warm to him since his appointment from Leicester in July last year.