Chelsea's Boss Maresca Labels Pre-Match Time as The 'Toughest 48 Hours' at the Blues

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca revealed that the preparation to the weekend's triumph against Everton was "the toughest 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.

The 44-year-old offered a puzzling comment in his post-match interview despite notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points sent Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, potentially lightening the mood after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's drought without a win to consecutive fixtures.

But, when asked about Gusto's assist and overall display, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his annoyance over the preceding two days at the organization.

"How the squad are eager to develop has been fantastic and this is the reason why I commend them - because with numerous challenges, they are performing admirably after a tricky week," he said.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the previous 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: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When questioned if he meant people within at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. Overall," before clarifying when asked if it was directed towards fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are very content with the fans."

Injury & Suspension Woes

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent injury and suspension issues, noting they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, as well as losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to two significant injuries.

"I truly commend the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, 5 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 doing 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 best player but we play almost all season without our top 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 outside to acknowledge because the effort from the players is remarkable."

Chelsea's triumph over Everton consolidated 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 in the coming days.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Remark

It was ambiguous what exactly prompted Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the worst of his tenure as Chelsea manager.

In that period, the Italian had returned with his staff and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at Cobham, faced a pre-game press briefing where he seemed at ease, and engineered a win over an in-form Everton team.

It was unclear whether any particular media reports had unsettled him, if social media comments 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 issue involving the club's supporters, some of whom have still have yet to fully warm to him since his appointment from Leicester during July last year.