Chelsea's Boss Enzo Maresca Describes Pre-Match Time as His 'Worst 48 Hours' at the Club

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the build-up to the weekend's victory against Everton constituted "the worst 48 hours" of his tenure at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old delivered a somewhat cryptic comment in his post-match interview even after securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge through strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points sent Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, perhaps lightening the mood following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's drought without a win to consecutive matches.

Yet, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and general performance, Maresca surprisingly disclosed his frustration over the preceding two days at the organization.

"How the players want to learn has been superb and this is the explanation why I praise them - because with numerous issues, they are performing admirably after a complicated week," he stated.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the past 48 hours have been the most difficult because several people didn't support us."

Pressed on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City boss added: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When questioned if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he responded: "Broadly speaking. In general," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are very happy with the fans."

Injury and Disciplinary Crisis

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing injury and suspension problems, remarking they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, in addition to losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to two serious injuries.

"I truly applaud the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them minus Moises Caicedo, eleven of them minus Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are doing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer available, we said many times that he's our finest player but we play almost all season minus our top player.

"We play five games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would want people externally to recognize because the work from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's win over Everton cemented their position in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup last-eight tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.

Uncertainty Over Maresca's Remark

It was unclear who or what caused Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his tenure as Chelsea head coach.

In that timeframe, the Italian had traveled back with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, conducted a training session at the training ground, faced a pre-game news conference where he appeared at ease, and secured a victory over an high-flying Everton side.

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

Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an issue related to the club's fans, a section of which have not yet fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester in July 2024.