The Manager Maresca Calls Pre-Match Period as The 'Toughest 48 Hours' at the Club

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the preparation to the weekend's win against Everton was "the toughest 48 hours" he has experienced at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old made a rather mysterious comment in his after-game press conference despite securing a 2-0 win at home thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points lifted Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps improving the atmosphere after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's drought without a win to four outings.

Yet, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and overall display, Maresca unexpectedly shared his annoyance over the preceding two days within the organization.

"The way the players are eager to develop has been fantastic and this is the reason why I commend them - because with a host of challenges, they are excelling after a complicated week," he said.

"Since I joined the club, the previous 48 hours have been the worst because a lot of people withheld support from us."

Pressed on the specifics, the ex- Leicester City boss added: "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 internally at Chelsea, he responded: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before specifying when asked if it was directed towards fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are very happy with the fans."

Fitness & Suspension Crisis

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing fitness and suspension issues, noting they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, in addition to being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

"I really applaud the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, five of them minus Moises Caicedo, 11 of them minus Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them without Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are performing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer there, we have said many times that he's our finest player but we play almost all season minus our top player.

"We play five games in the Premier League without 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 commitment from the players is fantastic."

Chelsea's win over Everton cemented their position in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come next week.

Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Remark

It was not immediately clear who or what prompted Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his time as Chelsea head coach.

In that period, the Italian had traveled back with his staff and players from Bergamo, conducted a training session at Cobham, attended a pre-match news conference where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a win over an in-form Everton team.

It was not obvious whether any particular press stories had irked him, if online comments were a factor, or if it was something more significant from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.

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