The Boss Enzo Maresca Calls Lead-Up Period as His 'Worst Two Days' with the Blues

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca stated that the preparation to Saturday's victory against Everton represented "the worst 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.

The Italian delivered a somewhat cryptic statement in his post-match press conference even after securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge thanks to finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those crucial points sent Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, perhaps lightening the atmosphere following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's drought without a win to consecutive fixtures.

But, when asked about Gusto's assist and general performance, Maresca surprisingly divulged his frustration over the preceding two days within the organization.

"How the players want to develop has been fantastic and this is the reason why I applaud them - because with numerous challenges, they are performing admirably after a difficult week," he commented.

"Since I joined the club, the past 48 hours have been the most difficult because many people didn't support us."

Pressed on what he meant, the former Leicester City manager elaborated: "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 replied: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before specifying when queried if it was directed towards fans or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."

Injury and Suspension Crisis

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing fitness and suspension problems, noting they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, in addition to losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to two serious injuries.

"I truly commend the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them minus Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are performing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer playing, we said many times that he's our finest player but we play almost all season without our top player.

"We play 5 games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to appreciate because the effort from the players is remarkable."

Chelsea's win over Everton cemented their position in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come in the coming days.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Comments

It was ambiguous what exactly caused Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the worst of his tenure as Chelsea head coach.

In that timeframe, the coach had traveled back with his staff and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at the training ground, attended a pre-game news conference where he seemed at ease, and secured a victory over an in-form Everton team.

It was unclear whether any particular media reports had unsettled him, if social media discourse played a role, or if it was something more significant from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to deny that it was an issue involving the club's supporters, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester during July last year.