Chelsea's Boss Maresca Labels Pre-Match Period as The 'Worst Two Days' with the Blues
Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca remarked that the run-up to Saturday's triumph against Everton constituted "the worst 48 hours" he has experienced at Stamford Bridge.
The Italian made a puzzling statement in his post-match interview despite securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those points sent Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, potentially lightening the mood following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's winless run to four outings.
Yet, when questioned about Gusto's assist and overall performance, Maresca surprisingly shared his frustration over the preceding 48-hour period at the club.
"The way the squad are eager to improve has been superb and this is the reason why I applaud them - because with a host of problems, they are performing admirably after a tricky week," he commented.
"Since I joined the club, the past 48 hours have been the worst because many people failed to back us."
Pressed on the specifics, 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 answered: "In general. In general," before clarifying when asked if it was aimed at fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."
Fitness & Suspension Crisis
Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, as well as losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.
"I really applaud the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.
"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are doing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer available, we have said many times that he's our best player but we play almost all season minus our best player.
"We play 5 games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would want people externally to recognize because the effort from the players is fantastic."
Chelsea's win over Everton strengthened their standing in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup last-eight clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come in the coming days.
Speculation Over Maresca's Comments
It was not immediately clear what exactly prompted Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea manager.
In that window, the coach had traveled back with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a training session at the training ground, faced a pre-match news conference where he appeared at ease, and secured a victory over an in-form Everton team.
It was not obvious whether any specific media reports had irked him, if online comments were a factor, or if it was something deeper from within the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to deny 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 during July last year.
