Chelsea's Manager Maresca Labels Lead-Up Time as The 'Toughest 48 Hours' at the Blues

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the run-up to Saturday's victory against Everton represented "the worst 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.

The 44-year-old delivered a somewhat cryptic message in his after-game interview even after earning a 2-0 win at home thanks to strikes 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 after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's drought without a win to four outings.

Yet, when questioned about the full-back's contribution and overall performance, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his annoyance over the preceding two days within the organization.

"The way the lads want to learn has been superb and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with so many issues, they are performing admirably after a complicated week," he commented.

"Since I joined the club, the previous 48 hours have been the toughest because a lot of people didn't support us."

When pushed further on the specifics, the former Leicester City manager elaborated: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When asked if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he answered: "Broadly speaking. In general," before specifying when asked if it was directed towards supporters or the media: "I love the fans and we are very happy with the fans."

Injury and Suspension Crisis

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

"I really commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them minus Moises Caicedo, 11 of them minus Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are performing brilliantly. Today was five 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 the vast majority of the season minus our best player.

"We play 5 games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would want people externally to appreciate because the effort from the players is fantastic."

Chelsea's win over Everton cemented their standing in fourth in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled next week.

Speculation Over Maresca's Remark

It was not immediately clear who or what prompted Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea manager.

In that period, the coach had traveled back with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, conducted a training session at Cobham, faced a pre-game press briefing where he seemed relaxed, 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 were a factor, or if it was something more significant 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 embrace him since his arrival from Leicester in July last year.