Chelsea's Manager Enzo Maresca Describes Lead-Up Period as His 'Worst 48 Hours' with the Club
Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca revealed that the run-up to the weekend's win against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" he has experienced at Stamford Bridge.
The Italian made a rather mysterious comment in his post-match interview despite securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge through goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those crucial points propelled 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 extended the team's winless run to four outings.
But, when questioned about Gusto's assist and general display, Maresca surprisingly shared his displeasure over the preceding 48-hour period at the organization.
"How the players are eager to improve has been superb and this is the reason why I applaud 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 last 48 hours have been the most difficult because a lot of people failed to back us."
When pushed further on the specifics, the former Leicester City manager continued: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."
When questioned if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he answered: "In general. In general," before specifying when asked if it was directed towards 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 fitness and disciplinary problems, noting they had been without key forward 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 striker Liam Delap to two serious injuries.
"I truly praise the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them minus Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.
"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are performing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer available, we have said many times that he's our finest 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 reason why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would want people outside to recognize because the effort from the players is remarkable."
Chelsea's triumph over Everton strengthened their position in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.
Uncertainty Over Maresca's Comments
It was ambiguous what exactly prompted Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the worst of his spell as Chelsea manager.
In that timeframe, the Italian had traveled back with his staff and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at Cobham, faced a pre-match press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and secured a victory over an in-form Everton side.
It was not obvious whether any specific media reports had irked him, if social media discourse played a role, or if it was something deeper from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an issue related to the club's supporters, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester in July last year.