The Manager Maresca Calls Lead-Up Time as The 'Worst Two Days' at the Blues

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the run-up to the weekend's victory against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" of his tenure at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old offered a rather mysterious statement in his after-game media briefing despite securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge through strikes 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 after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's drought without a win to consecutive matches.

However, when asked about the full-back's contribution and general display, Maresca surprisingly disclosed his displeasure over the previous two days at the club.

"The way the players want to develop has been excellent and this is the reason why I praise them - because with numerous problems, they are doing very well after a difficult week," he stated.

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

Pressed on the specifics, the ex- Leicester City boss elaborated: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When questioned if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he responded: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before specifying when queried if it was directed towards fans or the press: "I adore the fans and we are very pleased with the fans."

Injury & Suspension Crisis

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing injury and suspension issues, remarking they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, as well as being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

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

"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are doing fantastic. Today was 5 games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer playing, we said many times that he's our best player but we play almost all season without our best player.

"We play 5 games in the Premier League minus 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 appreciate because the work from the players is fantastic."

Chelsea's success over Everton consolidated their standing in 4th place in the Premier League standings, 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 Comments

It was ambiguous who or what prompted Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea manager.

In that timeframe, the coach had traveled back with his staff and players from his native Italy, conducted a session at the training ground, faced a pre-game press briefing where he seemed at ease, and engineered a win over an high-flying Everton team.

It was not obvious whether any particular press stories had unsettled him, if social media discourse were a factor, or if it was something more significant from within the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an matter involving the club's fans, a section of which have not yet fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester in July last year.