Chelsea's Manager Enzo Maresca Labels Lead-Up Period as The 'Worst 48 Hours' with the Club
Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca stated that the preparation to Saturday's victory against Everton represented "the toughest 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.
The 44-year-old made a somewhat cryptic statement in his after-game interview despite earning a 2-0 win at home courtesy of strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those crucial points sent Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps lightening the mood after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's winless run to four outings.
Yet, when questioned about Gusto's assist and overall performance, Maresca surprisingly shared his displeasure over the preceding 48-hour period within the organization.
"How the squad want to improve has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with numerous problems, they are doing very well after a tricky week," he commented.
"From the moment I arrived at the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because a lot of people withheld support from us."
When pushed further on the specifics, the ex- Leicester City manager continued: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."
When questioned if he meant people within at Chelsea, he responded: "In general. Overall," before clarifying when queried if it was directed towards supporters or the media: "I love the fans and we are very happy with the fans."
Fitness & Suspension Crisis
Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, as well as losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.
"I truly praise the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them minus Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.
"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are performing exceptionally. Today was 5 games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer available, we said many times that he's our best player but we play almost all season minus our best player.
"We play 5 games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would want people externally to recognize because the work from the players is outstanding."
Chelsea's win over Everton consolidated their standing in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled next week.
Speculation Regarding Maresca's Comments
It was unclear who or what prompted Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his time as Chelsea head coach.
In that period, the coach had traveled back with his staff and players from his native Italy, conducted a training session at the training ground, attended a pre-match news conference where he seemed at ease, and secured a win over an in-form Everton side.
It was hard to discern whether any particular media reports had unsettled him, if social media comments were a factor, or if it was something more significant from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an issue involving the club's fans, some of whom have not yet fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester in July last year.
