Chelsea's Boss Maresca Calls Lead-Up Period as The 'Toughest 48 Hours' with the Blues

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the build-up to Saturday's triumph against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.

The Italian made a somewhat cryptic message in his post-match interview despite securing a 2-0 win at home courtesy of finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points propelled Chelsea back into the English top flight'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 four outings.

However, when asked about Gusto's contribution and general display, Maresca surprisingly shared his frustration over the preceding 48-hour period within the club.

"The way the squad want to improve has been superb and this is the reason why I commend them - because with a host of challenges, they are doing very well after a difficult week," he stated.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the last 48 hours have been the most difficult because many people failed to back us."

When pushed further on what he meant, the former Leicester City manager continued: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When questioned if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. In general," before specifying when queried if it was directed towards fans or the press: "I adore the fans and we are very happy with the fans."

Injury and Suspension Crisis

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and disciplinary problems, remarking they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, in addition to losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of serious injuries.

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

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are performing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our best player but we play the vast majority of the season minus our top player.

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

Chelsea's triumph over Everton consolidated their standing in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup last-eight clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come next week.

Speculation Over Maresca's Comments

It was unclear who or what caused Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea manager.

In that window, the Italian had traveled back with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at the training ground, faced a pre-game news conference where he appeared relaxed, and secured a win over an high-flying Everton team.

It was unclear whether any specific press stories had unsettled him, if social media comments played a role, or if it was something more significant from within the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an matter involving the club's fans, a section of which have not yet fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester in July last year.