The Boss Enzo Maresca Calls Pre-Match Time as His 'Most Difficult Two Days' at the Blues

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the run-up to Saturday's triumph against Everton was "the toughest 48 hours" he has experienced at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian offered a rather mysterious statement in his after-game media briefing despite notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge thanks to strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points sent Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps lightening the atmosphere after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's drought without a win to four fixtures.

But, when asked about Gusto's contribution and overall performance, Maresca unexpectedly shared his annoyance over the preceding two days at the club.

"The way the squad want to learn has been excellent and this is the reason why I commend them - because with so many problems, they are excelling after a tricky week," he said.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because a lot of people failed to back us."

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

When asked if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he responded: "In general. Overall," before clarifying when queried if it was directed towards fans or the media: "I adore the fans and we are very pleased with the fans."

Fitness & Disciplinary Woes

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary problems, noting they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, in addition to being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to two serious injuries.

"I truly praise 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 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 said many times that he's our best player but we play the vast majority of the season without our best player.

"We play five games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would want people externally to acknowledge because the commitment from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's win over Everton consolidated their position in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup last-eight tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.

Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Comments

It was ambiguous what exactly caused Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his time as Chelsea head coach.

In that window, the coach had returned with his staff and players from his native Italy, held a session at the training ground, faced a pre-game news conference where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a win over an high-flying Everton team.

It was hard to discern whether any specific press stories had unsettled him, if social media discourse were a factor, or if it was something deeper from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an matter related to the club's supporters, some of whom have still have yet to fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester during July last year.