Chelsea's Boss Maresca Calls Lead-Up Time as His 'Most Difficult Two Days' with the Blues
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca remarked that the build-up to Saturday's win against Everton represented "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.
The 44-year-old offered a puzzling message in his post-match media briefing despite notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge thanks to strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those points propelled Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, perhaps lightening the atmosphere following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's winless run to four matches.
But, when asked about Gusto's contribution and general display, Maresca unexpectedly shared his displeasure over the preceding 48-hour period at the organization.
"The way the players want to develop 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 difficult week," he commented.
"From the moment I arrived at the club, the previous 48 hours have been the most difficult because many people withheld support from us."
When pushed further on the specifics, the former Leicester City boss elaborated: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."
When questioned if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he answered: "In general. In general," before specifying when asked if it was directed towards supporters or the media: "I adore the fans and we are very happy with the fans."
Fitness and Suspension Woes
Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing injury and suspension problems, noting they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, in addition to being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.
"I really commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, eleven of them without Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them without Liam Delap," he explained.
"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are performing exceptionally. Today was 5 games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer there, we have said many times that he's our best player but we play almost all season without our top player.
"We play five 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 like people externally to acknowledge because the commitment from the players is outstanding."
Chelsea's success over Everton strengthened their position in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled next week.
Speculation Over Maresca's Comments
It was unclear what exactly caused Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his tenure as Chelsea manager.
In that window, the coach had traveled back with his staff and players from Bergamo, held a session at the training ground, faced a pre-game press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and secured a victory over an in-form Everton side.
It was unclear whether any particular press stories had unsettled him, if social media comments were a factor, or if it was something deeper from inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an issue related to the club's supporters, a section of which have still have yet to fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester during July last year.
