Chelsea's Manager Enzo Maresca Calls Pre-Match Time as The 'Toughest 48 Hours' at the Club
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca remarked that the preparation to Saturday's triumph against Everton was "the toughest 48 hours" of his tenure at Stamford Bridge.
The 44-year-old made a rather mysterious statement in his after-game press conference even after notching a 2-0 win at home thanks to finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those crucial points sent Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, potentially lightening the atmosphere following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's drought without a win to four fixtures.
Yet, when asked about Gusto's contribution and overall display, Maresca surprisingly disclosed his frustration over the preceding 48-hour period at the organization.
"How the players are eager to develop has been superb and this is the reason why I praise them - because with so many challenges, they are performing admirably after a difficult week," he commented.
"From the moment I arrived at the club, the last 48 hours have been the most difficult because many people didn't support us."
Pressed on his meaning, the ex- Leicester City manager added: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team."
When questioned if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he answered: "In general. In general," before clarifying when queried if it was directed towards supporters or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely content with the fans."
Injury & Disciplinary Woes
Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing injury and disciplinary problems, noting they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, in addition to losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match 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, eleven of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he explained.
"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are performing brilliantly. Today was five games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer available, we have said many times that he's our top player but we play almost all season minus our best player.
"We play 5 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 externally to recognize because the effort from the players is outstanding."
Chelsea's triumph over Everton strengthened their position in fourth 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 not immediately clear who or what prompted Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his time as Chelsea manager.
In that period, the Italian had returned with his staff and players from his native Italy, conducted a training session at Cobham, attended a pre-match news conference where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton side.
It was not obvious whether any particular media reports had irked him, if online discourse played a role, or if it was something deeper from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an matter related to the club's fans, some of whom have not yet fully warm to him since his appointment from Leicester in July 2024.
