The Boss Maresca Describes Pre-Match Time as The 'Worst Two Days' with the Blues

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the preparation to the weekend's win against Everton represented "the toughest 48 hours" of his tenure at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old delivered a rather mysterious message in his post-match press conference even after securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge through goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points sent Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, perhaps lightening the atmosphere after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's drought without a win to consecutive matches.

However, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and general performance, Maresca surprisingly divulged his annoyance over the preceding two days within the club.

"How the players want to improve has been excellent and this is the reason why I praise them - because with a host of issues, they are doing very well after a tricky week," he commented.

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

Pressed on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City manager added: "Worst 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 answered: "Broadly speaking. In general," before clarifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the press: "I adore the fans and we are very happy with the fans."

Fitness and Disciplinary Woes

Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary problems, remarking they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, as well as being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to two significant injuries.

"I truly applaud 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, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are performing exceptionally. Today was five games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer playing, we said many times that he's our finest player but we play the vast majority of the season without our best player.

"We play five games in the Premier League without 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 work from the players is fantastic."

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

Speculation Over Maresca's Remark

It was unclear what exactly prompted Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the worst of his spell as Chelsea head coach.

In that timeframe, the Italian had traveled back with his staff and players from Bergamo, held a session at the training ground, faced a pre-match news conference where he seemed at ease, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton side.

It was not obvious whether any specific media reports had unsettled him, if social media discourse played a role, or if it was something more significant from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

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