The Boss Maresca Calls Lead-Up Time as His 'Most Difficult Two Days' with the Blues

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the run-up to Saturday's triumph against Everton represented "the most challenging 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.

The 44-year-old made a puzzling message in his after-game interview even after securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge through finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points lifted Chelsea back 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 matches.

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

"The way the lads want to improve has been excellent and this is the reason why I commend them - because with so many challenges, they are performing admirably after a difficult week," he commented.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the previous 48 hours have been the toughest because many people withheld support from us."

Pressed on his meaning, the ex- 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 was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. In general," before clarifying when queried if it was directed towards supporters or the press: "I love the fans and we are very content with the fans."

Fitness & Suspension Crisis

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing fitness and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, as well as losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to two significant injuries.

"I really praise the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are performing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer there, we have said many times that he's our top player but we play the vast majority of the season without our top player.

"We play 5 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 recognize because the work 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 prompted Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the worst of his spell as Chelsea manager.

In that period, the coach had returned with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, held a training session at the training ground, faced a pre-match news conference where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton team.

It was hard to discern whether any particular media reports had unsettled him, if social media comments played a role, or if it was something deeper from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an issue related to the club's fans, some of whom have still have yet to fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester during July last year.