The Manager Maresca Describes Lead-Up Time as His 'Toughest Two Days' at the Club
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the preparation to the weekend's victory against Everton constituted "the worst 48 hours" he has experienced at Stamford Bridge.
The 44-year-old made a rather mysterious message in his after-game interview even after securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge through goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those points propelled Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, perhaps improving the atmosphere after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's drought without a win to four matches.
Yet, when questioned about Gusto's assist and general performance, Maresca unexpectedly disclosed his frustration over the preceding 48-hour period within the club.
"How the lads are eager to learn has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with so many issues, they are excelling after a complicated week," he said.
"From the moment I arrived at the club, the past 48 hours have been the worst because several people withheld support from us."
When pushed further on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City boss continued: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."
When questioned if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he answered: "In general. Overall," before clarifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are very pleased with the fans."
Injury and Disciplinary Crisis
Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary problems, noting they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, as well as being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to two serious injuries.
"I really commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them minus Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them without Liam Delap," he said.
"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are performing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer available, we have said many times that he's our finest 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 want people outside to recognize because the effort from the players is fantastic."
Chelsea's success over Everton cemented their standing in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come next week.
Speculation Regarding Maresca's Comments
It was unclear what exactly caused Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea manager.
In that timeframe, the Italian had returned with his staff and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at Cobham, faced a pre-match press briefing where he appeared at ease, and engineered a win over an in-form Everton side.
It was not obvious whether any specific press stories had unsettled him, if online comments were a factor, or if it was something deeper from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to deny that it was an matter related to the club's supporters, some of whom have still have yet to fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester in July last year.
