Chelsea's Boss Maresca Labels Lead-Up Time as The 'Worst Two Days' at the Club
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the build-up to the weekend's victory against Everton constituted "the most challenging 48 hours" of his tenure at Stamford Bridge.
The 44-year-old made a somewhat cryptic statement in his after-game interview even after notching a 2-0 win at home thanks to strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those three precious points propelled Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, potentially lightening the mood following 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 the full-back's assist and general display, Maresca surprisingly divulged his frustration over the previous 48-hour period within the organization.
"The way the players are eager to improve has been fantastic and this is the reason why I commend them - because with so many 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 worst because several people didn't support us."
Pressed on his meaning, the ex- Leicester City manager continued: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."
When questioned if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he responded: "In general. In general," before specifying when asked if it was aimed at supporters or the press: "I love the fans and we are very happy with the fans."
Fitness and Suspension Crisis
Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's persistent injury and suspension problems, noting they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for much of the season, in addition to losing key midfielder 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 minus Moises Caicedo, 11 of them minus Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.
"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are doing brilliantly. Today was five games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our best 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 happy for the players and it's something that I would like people externally to appreciate because the effort from the players is outstanding."
Chelsea's triumph over Everton cemented their standing in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup last-eight clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.
Speculation Over Maresca's Remark
It was ambiguous what exactly caused Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his tenure as Chelsea manager.
In that period, the Italian had traveled back with his staff and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at the training ground, faced a pre-match press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a victory over an in-form Everton side.
It was not obvious whether any particular press stories had irked him, if social media discourse were a factor, or if it was something more significant from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to deny that it was an issue related to the club's supporters, some of whom have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester during July 2024.
