The Manager Maresca Labels Lead-Up Period as His 'Toughest 48 Hours' at the Blues
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca remarked that the preparation to the weekend's win against Everton represented "the most challenging 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.
The 44-year-old made a rather mysterious message in his post-match interview despite notching a 2-0 win at home thanks to finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those points sent Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, perhaps lightening the mood following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's winless run to consecutive outings.
However, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and overall performance, Maresca unexpectedly disclosed his annoyance over the preceding two days at the club.
"How the squad want to improve has been fantastic and this is the reason why I commend them - because with so many issues, they are performing admirably after a difficult week," he stated.
"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because a lot of people didn't support us."
Pressed on his meaning, the former Leicester City manager continued: "Worst 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 responded: "In general. Overall," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at supporters or the press: "I love the fans and we are very pleased with the fans."
Injury & Disciplinary Crisis
Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing fitness and suspension problems, noting they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, as well as being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.
"I truly commend the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them without Moises Caicedo, eleven of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he said.
"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are performing exceptionally. Today was five games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer available, we said many times that he's our finest player but we play almost all season minus our best 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 want people externally to recognize because the effort from the players is remarkable."
Chelsea's triumph over Everton strengthened their position 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 Regarding Maresca's Comments
It was not immediately clear who or what prompted Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea head coach.
In that period, the coach had traveled back with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, conducted a training session at the training ground, attended a pre-game press briefing where he appeared at ease, and secured a win over an in-form Everton side.
It was unclear whether any particular media reports had unsettled him, if online comments played a role, or if it was something deeper from inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to deny that it was an matter related to the club's supporters, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester in July 2024.
