Chelsea's Manager Maresca Calls Pre-Match Time as The 'Worst 48 Hours' with the Blues

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the build-up to Saturday's win against Everton constituted "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.

The Italian made a rather mysterious statement in his after-game interview despite securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge through goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those crucial points sent Chelsea once again 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 winless run to consecutive matches.

Yet, when asked about the full-back's assist and general display, Maresca surprisingly divulged his annoyance over the preceding 48-hour period within the club.

"The way the lads are eager to improve has been fantastic and this is the reason why I praise them - because with a host of problems, they are doing very well after a complicated week," he said.

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

Pressed on the specifics, the former Leicester City boss added: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When asked if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he responded: "Broadly speaking. In general," before specifying when queried if it was directed towards supporters or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."

Fitness and Suspension Crisis

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary problems, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, in addition to being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

"I really commend the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, five of them minus Moises Caicedo, eleven of them minus Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are doing exceptionally. Today was five games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer available, we have said many times that he's our finest player but we play almost all season minus our top player.

"We play 5 games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would want people externally to acknowledge because the work from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's success over Everton consolidated their standing in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come in the coming days.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Remark

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

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

It was hard to discern whether any particular press stories had irked him, if online discourse were a factor, or if it was something deeper from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to deny that it was an issue related to the club's fans, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester during July last year.