Chelsea's Manager Maresca Describes Pre-Match Period as The 'Worst Two Days' at the Club

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca remarked that the preparation to Saturday's triumph against Everton constituted "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.

The 44-year-old made a somewhat cryptic message in his post-match interview despite securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those crucial points lifted Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, potentially lightening the mood after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's winless run to consecutive outings.

But, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and overall display, Maresca surprisingly shared his displeasure over the preceding two days at the organization.

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

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the past 48 hours have been the worst because several people failed to back us."

When pushed further on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City manager added: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When questioned if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he answered: "In general. Overall," before specifying when asked if it was aimed at fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."

Injury and Disciplinary Crisis

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent injury and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for much of the season, as well as being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to two significant injuries.

"I really commend the players and the squad because we 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 doing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer playing, 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 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 appreciate because the work from the players is fantastic."

Chelsea's success over Everton strengthened their standing in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.

Uncertainty Over Maresca's Remark

It was unclear what exactly caused Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea manager.

In that period, the Italian had traveled back with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, conducted a training session at the training ground, attended a pre-match press briefing where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton team.

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

Maresca only sought to deny that it was an issue involving the club's fans, a section of which have not yet fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester in July 2024.