Chelsea's Manager Maresca Labels Pre-Match Time as The 'Toughest 48 Hours' with the Club

Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca revealed that the build-up to the weekend's triumph against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.

The 44-year-old delivered a puzzling message in his after-game interview despite securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points propelled Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, perhaps lightening the mood following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's winless run to four fixtures.

Yet, when asked about Gusto's contribution and overall performance, Maresca unexpectedly shared his displeasure over the previous 48-hour period at the club.

"How the lads want to develop has been superb and this is the reason why I praise them - because with a host of challenges, they are excelling after a complicated week," he said.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the past 48 hours have been the toughest because a lot of people didn't support us."

Pressed on the specifics, the ex- Leicester City boss added: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined 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 clarifying when asked if it was aimed at supporters or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."

Injury & Suspension Woes

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing injury and suspension problems, remarking they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, in addition to being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to two serious injuries.

"I really commend the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, five of them minus Moises Caicedo, eleven of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are doing exceptionally. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer available, we said many times that he's our top player but we play almost all season minus our best player.

"We play five games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would want people outside to acknowledge because the work from the players is remarkable."

Chelsea's triumph over Everton cemented their standing in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come next week.

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 spell as Chelsea head coach.

In that period, the Italian had returned with his staff and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at Cobham, faced a pre-match news conference where he seemed relaxed, and secured a victory over an in-form Everton side.

It was not obvious whether any particular media reports 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 matter related to the club's fans, a section of which have still have yet to fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester during July last year.