The Manager Enzo Maresca Describes Pre-Match Time as The 'Toughest 48 Hours' with the Club
Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca revealed that the preparation to Saturday's triumph against Everton was "the most challenging 48 hours" of his tenure at Stamford Bridge.
The Italian delivered a rather mysterious message in his post-match press conference even after notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those three precious points lifted 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 four fixtures.
Yet, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and overall performance, Maresca unexpectedly disclosed his annoyance over the preceding two days at the club.
"How the lads want to learn has been excellent and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with numerous issues, they are excelling after a complicated week," he commented.
"From the moment I arrived at the club, the past 48 hours have been the most difficult because a lot of people withheld support from us."
When pushed further on what he meant, the former Leicester City manager continued: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."
When asked if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. Overall," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at supporters or the press: "I adore the fans and we are extremely content with the fans."
Injury & Suspension Woes
Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's ongoing injury and suspension problems, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for much of the season, as well as losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of serious injuries.
"I truly commend the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, five of them minus Moises Caicedo, 11 of them minus Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he said.
"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are performing 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 best player but we play the vast majority of the season without our top player.
"We play five 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 commitment from the players is remarkable."
Chelsea's success over Everton cemented their position in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come next week.
Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Remark
It was ambiguous what exactly prompted Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the worst of his spell as Chelsea manager.
In that window, the Italian had traveled back with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at the training ground, faced a pre-match news conference where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a victory over an in-form Everton team.
It was unclear whether any specific press stories had irked him, if online discourse were a factor, or if it was something more significant from inside the club 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 embrace him since his arrival from Leicester in July 2024.
