Chelsea's Boss Enzo Maresca Describes Lead-Up Time as The 'Worst 48 Hours' at the Club

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the build-up to the weekend's triumph against Everton constituted "the most challenging 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.

The Italian offered a puzzling statement in his post-match media briefing even after securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points sent Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, perhaps lightening the atmosphere following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's drought without a win to four outings.

But, when asked about the full-back's assist and general display, Maresca unexpectedly disclosed his annoyance over the previous two days within the club.

"How the players are eager to improve has been excellent and this is the reason why I praise them - because with a host of challenges, they are performing admirably after a tricky week," he stated.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the previous 48 hours have been the most difficult because a lot of people didn't support us."

Pressed on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City boss added: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When asked if he meant people within at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. In general," before specifying when asked if it was aimed at supporters or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."

Injury and Disciplinary Crisis

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing injury and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, in addition to losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of serious injuries.

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

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are performing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our finest player but we play almost all season without our best player.

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

Chelsea's triumph over Everton strengthened their position in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup last-eight tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.

Uncertainty Over Maresca's Remark

It was not immediately clear what exactly caused Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his time as Chelsea manager.

In that period, the coach had returned with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a training session at the training ground, faced a pre-game news conference where he seemed at ease, and secured a win over an high-flying Everton side.

It was unclear whether any specific press stories had irked him, if social media discourse played a role, or if it was something more significant from within the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to deny that it was an issue related to the club's supporters, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester in July last year.