The Manager Maresca Labels Lead-Up Time as His 'Most Difficult 48 Hours' with the Club
Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca revealed that the preparation to the weekend's win against Everton constituted "the worst 48 hours" he has experienced at Stamford Bridge.
The 44-year-old made a somewhat cryptic comment in his post-match media briefing despite earning a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those three precious points propelled Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, potentially lightening the atmosphere after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's winless run to four fixtures.
Yet, when asked about the full-back's contribution and general performance, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his displeasure over the preceding two days at the organization.
"How the lads want to develop has been superb and this is the reason 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 last 48 hours have been the toughest because a lot of people withheld support from us."
Pressed on what he meant, the former Leicester City manager continued: "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 replied: "Broadly speaking. In general," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at supporters or the media: "I adore the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."
Fitness & Disciplinary Crisis
Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent fitness and suspension issues, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, in addition to being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.
"I truly commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, eleven of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.
"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are performing brilliantly. Today was five games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer available, we have said many times that he's our top player but we play almost all season without our top player.
"We play five 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 like people outside to appreciate because the effort from the players is fantastic."
Chelsea's success over Everton cemented their position in fourth in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.
Uncertainty Over Maresca's Comments
It was not immediately clear what exactly prompted Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his spell as Chelsea head coach.
In that period, the Italian had traveled back with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, conducted a session at the training ground, faced a pre-match press briefing where he appeared relaxed, and secured a win over an high-flying Everton side.
It was not obvious whether any specific media reports had irked him, if online comments were a factor, or if it was something more significant from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an issue related to the club's fans, a section of which have not yet fully warm to him since his appointment from Leicester during July last year.
