Chelsea's Boss Enzo Maresca Labels Pre-Match Time as The 'Worst 48 Hours' at the Club
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the build-up to Saturday's victory against Everton constituted "the toughest 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.
The Italian made a rather mysterious message in his post-match media briefing even after notching a 2-0 win at home through finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those crucial points propelled Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, potentially lightening the mood following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's drought without a win to consecutive fixtures.
Yet, when questioned about the full-back's contribution and overall display, Maresca surprisingly disclosed his annoyance over the preceding two days within the organization.
"How the players are eager to learn has been fantastic and this is the reason why I praise them - because with so many problems, they are doing very well after a difficult week," he commented.
"Since I joined the club, the previous 48 hours have been the most difficult because a lot of people withheld support from us."
When pushed further on his meaning, the former Leicester City manager continued: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."
When questioned if he meant people within at Chelsea, he answered: "In general. Overall," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."
Injury & Suspension Crisis
Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's persistent injury and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, in addition to being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to two serious injuries.
"I really applaud the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he said.
"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are doing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer playing, we have said many times that he's our top player but we play almost all season minus our top player.
"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would want people outside to recognize because the work from the players is fantastic."
Chelsea's success over Everton cemented their position in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup last-eight clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.
Speculation Over Maresca's Comments
It was unclear what exactly prompted Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea manager.
In that timeframe, the coach had traveled back with his staff and players from his native Italy, held a training session at the training ground, attended a pre-match news conference where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a win over an high-flying Everton side.
It was not obvious whether any particular press stories had unsettled him, if social media comments played a role, or if it was something more significant from within the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an issue related to the club's supporters, some of whom have still have yet to fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester in July 2024.
