The Boss Maresca Describes Pre-Match Period as The 'Toughest 48 Hours' at the Blues

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the run-up to Saturday's win against Everton represented "the toughest 48 hours" since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old made a puzzling message in his after-game press conference even after securing a 2-0 win at home thanks to strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points lifted Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, potentially improving the mood following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's winless run to consecutive fixtures.

But, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and overall performance, Maresca surprisingly disclosed his frustration over the preceding two days within the club.

"How the squad are eager to learn has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with numerous challenges, they are excelling after a complicated week," he commented.

"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the toughest because several people withheld support from us."

When pushed further on what he meant, the former Leicester City manager continued: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."

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

Injury & 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, as well as being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

"I truly commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them minus Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them without Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are doing exceptionally. Today was 5 games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our finest player but we play the vast majority of the season without our top player.

"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would want people externally to recognize because the effort from the players is fantastic."

Chelsea's success over Everton strengthened their position in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled next week.

Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Comments

It was not immediately clear who or what caused Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the worst of his tenure as Chelsea manager.

In that window, the coach had traveled back with his staff and players from his native Italy, held a training session at Cobham, faced a pre-match news conference where he seemed relaxed, and secured a win over an high-flying Everton side.

It was unclear whether any particular press stories had unsettled him, if social media comments were a factor, or if it was something deeper from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to deny that it was an matter involving the club's supporters, a section of which have not yet fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester in July last year.