The Manager Maresca Calls Pre-Match Period as His 'Toughest Two Days' at the Club

Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca stated that the preparation to the weekend's win against Everton represented "the worst 48 hours" he has experienced with the London club.

The 44-year-old offered a rather mysterious message in his post-match interview despite securing a 2-0 win at home 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 atmosphere after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's drought without a win to consecutive fixtures.

But, when asked about Gusto's contribution and overall display, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his annoyance over the preceding two days within the club.

"The way the squad want to develop has been excellent and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with numerous challenges, they are doing very well after a complicated week," he stated.

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

When pushed further on what he meant, the former Leicester City boss continued: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When asked if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he replied: "Broadly speaking. In general," before clarifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are very content with the fans."

Injury & Disciplinary Crisis

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's persistent injury and suspension problems, remarking they had been without key forward 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 two significant 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 without Cole Palmer, almost all of them without 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 top 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 outside to appreciate because the work from the players is fantastic."

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

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Remark

It was unclear who or what caused Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his spell as Chelsea manager.

In that window, the coach had traveled back with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at Cobham, attended a pre-game press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and secured a win over an high-flying Everton side.

It was hard to discern whether any particular media reports had unsettled him, if social media discourse played a role, or if it was something deeper from inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an issue related to the club's supporters, some of whom have still have yet to fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester in July last year.