The Manager Maresca Labels Pre-Match Time as His 'Toughest 48 Hours' at the Blues
Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca stated that the preparation to Saturday's win against Everton constituted "the worst 48 hours" he has experienced at Stamford Bridge.
The 44-year-old offered a rather mysterious message in his after-game press conference even after earning a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those crucial points lifted Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, perhaps lightening the mood after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's winless run to consecutive fixtures.
But, when questioned about the full-back's assist and overall performance, Maresca unexpectedly disclosed his frustration over the previous 48-hour period within the club.
"The way the squad want to learn has been excellent and this is the reason why I commend them - because with a host of problems, they are performing admirably after a complicated week," he stated.
"From the moment I arrived at the club, the previous 48 hours have been the worst because many people withheld support from us."
Pressed on what he meant, the former Leicester City boss added: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."
When questioned if he meant people within at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. In general," before clarifying when queried if it was directed towards fans or the media: "I adore the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."
Injury & Disciplinary Crisis
Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent fitness and suspension issues, noting 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-match ban and forward Liam Delap to two serious injuries.
"I really applaud the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them minus Moises Caicedo, eleven of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he said.
"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are performing brilliantly. Today was five games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer playing, we said many times that he's our best player but we play the vast majority of the season minus our best player.
"We play five games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would want people outside to recognize because the effort from the players is outstanding."
Chelsea's success over Everton consolidated their position in fourth in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come in the coming days.
Uncertainty Over Maresca's Remark
It was ambiguous what exactly caused Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea head coach.
In that period, the Italian had returned with his staff and players from Bergamo, conducted a training session at Cobham, attended a pre-game news conference where he appeared at ease, and engineered a win over an in-form Everton team.
It was hard to discern whether any specific press stories had unsettled him, if online comments were a factor, or if it was something deeper from inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an issue involving the club's fans, some of whom have still have yet to fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester in July 2024.