The Boss Enzo Maresca Calls Pre-Match Period as His 'Worst 48 Hours' with the Club
Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca revealed that the build-up to Saturday's triumph against Everton represented "the worst 48 hours" he has experienced at Stamford Bridge.
The Italian delivered a rather mysterious statement in his after-game interview even after earning a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge through strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those three precious points sent Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, perhaps lightening the atmosphere after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's drought without a win to consecutive matches.
However, when questioned about the full-back's contribution and general performance, Maresca surprisingly disclosed his frustration over the previous two days within the club.
"How the players want to learn has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with so many issues, they are excelling after a difficult week," he stated.
"Since I joined the club, the previous 48 hours have been the toughest because many people failed to back us."
When pushed further on what he meant, the former Leicester City manager continued: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team."
When asked if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he answered: "Broadly speaking. In general," before clarifying when asked if it was directed towards fans or the press: "I love the fans and we are very content with the fans."
Injury & Disciplinary Crisis
Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing injury and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, as well as losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward 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, eleven of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he said.
"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are doing exceptionally. Today was five games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our finest player but we play the vast majority of the season minus our best player.
"We play 5 games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would want people outside to recognize because the commitment from the players is fantastic."
Chelsea's win over Everton cemented their standing in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup last-eight clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled next week.
Speculation Over Maresca's Comments
It was unclear what exactly caused Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the worst of his tenure as Chelsea manager.
In that window, the coach had returned with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a session at Cobham, faced a pre-match news conference where he appeared at ease, and secured a win over an in-form Everton side.
It was hard to discern whether any specific press stories had unsettled him, if online comments were a factor, or if it was something deeper from within the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to deny that it was an issue involving the club's fans, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester during July last year.
