Chelsea's Boss Enzo Maresca Describes Lead-Up Period as His 'Most Difficult 48 Hours' at the Blues
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the run-up to Saturday's triumph against Everton was "the most challenging 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.
The Italian delivered a puzzling message in his post-match media briefing despite earning a 2-0 win at home through finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those three precious points propelled Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, potentially lightening the atmosphere following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's drought without a win to four matches.
However, when questioned about the full-back's assist and overall performance, Maresca unexpectedly disclosed his frustration over the previous 48-hour period at the organization.
"The way the lads are eager to improve has been superb and this is the reason why I praise them - because with a host of issues, they are performing admirably after a complicated week," he stated.
"From the moment I arrived at the club, the previous 48 hours have been the most difficult because several people didn't support us."
When pushed further on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City boss elaborated: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."
When asked if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he responded: "In general. In general," before clarifying when asked if it was directed towards supporters or the press: "I adore the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."
Injury and Disciplinary Crisis
Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's persistent injury and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, in addition to being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.
"I truly praise the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them minus Moises Caicedo, eleven of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them without 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 undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our best player but we play almost all season without our best player.
"We play 5 games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to appreciate because the work from the players is fantastic."
Chelsea's triumph over Everton strengthened their standing in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup last-eight tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled next week.
Speculation Regarding Maresca's Remark
It was unclear what exactly caused Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his time as Chelsea manager.
In that period, the Italian had traveled back with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, conducted a training session at Cobham, faced a pre-game press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and secured a win over an in-form Everton side.
It was hard to discern whether any specific press stories had unsettled him, if social media comments played a role, or if it was something more significant from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an matter related to the club's supporters, some of whom have not yet fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester in July last year.