Chelsea's Manager Maresca Calls Lead-Up Period as The 'Toughest 48 Hours' with the Club
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the build-up to the weekend's win against Everton was "the most challenging 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.
The Italian delivered a rather mysterious message in his after-game interview even after securing a 2-0 win at home courtesy of finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those crucial points lifted Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, perhaps lightening the mood after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's drought without a win to four outings.
However, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and overall display, Maresca unexpectedly shared his frustration over the previous two days within the club.
"How the squad are eager to learn has been excellent and this is the reason why I applaud them - because with a host of challenges, they are excelling after a difficult week," he commented.
"From the moment I arrived at the club, the past 48 hours have been the toughest because a lot of people failed to back us."
Pressed on his meaning, the former Leicester City boss continued: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team."
When questioned if he meant people within at Chelsea, he replied: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before clarifying when asked if it was directed towards fans or the media: "I adore the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."
Fitness and Disciplinary Crisis
Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, in addition to losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.
"I truly applaud the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he explained.
"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are performing brilliantly. Today was five games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer available, we have said many times that he's our best player but we play the vast majority of the season minus our best player.
"We play 5 games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would want people outside to recognize because the work from the players is outstanding."
Chelsea's success over Everton cemented their position in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup last-eight tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled next week.
Speculation Regarding Maresca's Comments
It was ambiguous who or what prompted Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his time as Chelsea head coach.
In that timeframe, the coach had traveled back with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, held a session at Cobham, attended a pre-match press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a win over an in-form Everton team.
It was unclear whether any particular media reports had unsettled him, if online discourse played a role, or if it was something more significant from inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an issue involving the club's supporters, some of whom have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester in July last year.
