Chelsea's Manager Maresca Labels Lead-Up Time as His 'Most Difficult 48 Hours' at the Club
Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca stated that the preparation to the weekend's victory against Everton was "the toughest 48 hours" he has experienced with the London club.
The Italian offered a rather mysterious message in his after-game press conference even after notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those crucial points propelled Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, perhaps lightening the mood after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's drought without a win to four outings.
However, when asked about Gusto's assist and general performance, Maresca surprisingly divulged his frustration over the previous two days within the club.
"How the squad are eager to develop has been excellent and this is the reason why I applaud them - because with a host of issues, they are doing very well after a difficult week," he stated.
"Since I joined the club, the past 48 hours have been the most difficult because a lot of people withheld support from us."
When pushed further on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City manager 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 internally at Chelsea, he answered: "In general. Overall," before specifying when asked if it was aimed at fans or the press: "I love the fans and we are very content with the fans."
Injury and Suspension Woes
Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and disciplinary problems, noting they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, in addition to being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to two serious injuries.
"I really commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, eleven of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he said.
"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are doing fantastic. Today was 5 games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our top player but we play almost all season minus our top 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 commitment from the players is fantastic."
Chelsea's triumph over Everton consolidated their standing in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup last-eight tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come in the coming days.
Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Comments
It was ambiguous what exactly prompted Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the worst of his tenure as Chelsea manager.
In that window, the coach had returned with his staff and players from his native Italy, held a session at Cobham, attended a pre-game press briefing where he seemed at ease, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton side.
It was hard to discern whether any particular press stories had unsettled him, if social media discourse played a role, or if it was something more significant from inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an issue related to the club's supporters, a section of which have still have yet to fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester in July last year.