Chelsea's Boss Enzo Maresca Calls Pre-Match Time as The 'Worst Two Days' at the Blues
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the run-up to the weekend's triumph against Everton represented "the most challenging 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.
The 44-year-old made a rather mysterious statement in his post-match media briefing even after notching a 2-0 win at home through finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those crucial points lifted Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, potentially lightening the mood after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's drought without a win to four outings.
But, when asked about the full-back's contribution and overall performance, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his frustration over the preceding two days within the club.
"The way the players are eager to develop has been fantastic and this is the reason why I commend them - because with so many issues, they are excelling after a difficult week," he commented.
"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 what he meant, the former Leicester City manager continued: "Worst 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: "Broadly speaking. In general," before clarifying when queried if it was aimed at supporters or the media: "I adore the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."
Fitness and Suspension Crisis
Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing injury and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, as well as being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant 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 minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he explained.
"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are doing 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 finest player but we play almost all season minus our best player.
"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would want people externally to appreciate because the commitment from the players is remarkable."
Chelsea's win over Everton strengthened their position in fourth 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.
Speculation Regarding Maresca's Comments
It was unclear what exactly caused Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the worst of his tenure as Chelsea manager.
In that timeframe, the coach had returned with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, conducted a training session at the training ground, faced a pre-match news conference where he appeared at ease, and secured a victory over an in-form Everton team.
It was unclear whether any particular press stories had unsettled him, if social media comments were a factor, or if it was something more significant from inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an issue related to the club's supporters, a section of which have not yet fully warm to him since his appointment from Leicester in July 2024.
