The Boss Enzo Maresca Labels Lead-Up Time as His 'Worst Two Days' at the Blues
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca remarked that the build-up to Saturday's win against Everton represented "the worst 48 hours" he has experienced with the London club.
The 44-year-old offered a rather mysterious comment in his post-match interview despite notching a 2-0 win at home thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those points sent Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, potentially improving the mood following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's winless run to consecutive matches.
Yet, when questioned about Gusto's assist and overall performance, Maresca unexpectedly disclosed his frustration over the preceding two days within the organization.
"How the squad are eager to develop has been excellent and this is the reason why I praise them - because with so many challenges, they are excelling after a difficult week," he commented.
"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the most difficult because a lot of people failed to back us."
Pressed on his meaning, the former Leicester City boss added: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."
When questioned if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he responded: "In general. In general," before clarifying when asked if it was directed towards supporters or the media: "I adore the fans and we are very happy with the fans."
Fitness and Suspension Crisis
Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's persistent injury and suspension problems, remarking they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, in addition to being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of serious injuries.
"I truly applaud the players and the squad because we have 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, no matter who is playing, they are performing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer playing, we said many times that he's our finest player but we play the vast majority of the season without our top player.
"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to recognize because the effort from the players is remarkable."
Chelsea's triumph over Everton cemented their standing in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup last-eight clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come next week.
Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Comments
It was not immediately clear who or what prompted Maresca to label the previous 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 Bergamo, conducted a training session at the training ground, attended a pre-game press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton side.
It was not obvious whether any particular press stories had irked him, if social media comments were a factor, or if it was something more significant from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an issue involving the club's supporters, a section of which have not yet fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester in July 2024.
