Chelsea's Manager Maresca Labels Pre-Match Time as The 'Toughest 48 Hours' with the Club

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the run-up to the weekend's win against Everton represented "the worst 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.

The Italian made a rather mysterious statement in his post-match media briefing even after earning a 2-0 win at home courtesy of finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points lifted 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 side's drought without a win to consecutive outings.

However, when asked about Gusto's contribution and overall performance, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his displeasure over the preceding two days at the organization.

"The way the lads are eager to learn has been fantastic and this is the reason why I praise them - because with numerous challenges, they are performing admirably after a difficult week," he said.

"Since I joined the club, the previous 48 hours have been the worst because a lot of people didn't support us."

Pressed on the specifics, the former Leicester City boss continued: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When asked if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he responded: "In general. Overall," before specifying when queried if it was directed towards fans or the press: "I adore the fans and we are very pleased with the fans."

Injury & Suspension Woes

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing fitness and suspension problems, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for much of the season, in addition to losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

"I truly commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he said.

"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 playing, we have said many times that he's our top player but we play the vast majority of the season without our best player.

"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would want people outside to recognize because the commitment from the players is remarkable."

Chelsea's success over Everton cemented their standing in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled next week.

Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Comments

It was not immediately clear who or what prompted Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the worst of his tenure as Chelsea head coach.

In that period, the Italian had returned with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, conducted a training session at the training ground, attended a pre-game press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and secured a win over an in-form Everton team.

It was hard to discern whether any particular press stories had irked him, if social media discourse were a factor, or if it was something deeper from within the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to deny that it was an matter related to the club's supporters, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester during July last year.