Chelsea's Manager Maresca Calls Pre-Match Period as His 'Toughest 48 Hours' with the Club

Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca remarked that the run-up to Saturday's triumph against Everton represented "the most challenging 48 hours" since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian delivered a rather mysterious message in his after-game media briefing despite securing a 2-0 win at home thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points propelled Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps lightening the mood after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's drought without a win to consecutive fixtures.

But, when questioned about the full-back's assist and general performance, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his displeasure over the previous 48-hour period within the club.

"The way the squad are eager to develop has been superb and this is the explanation why I praise them - because with so many issues, they are excelling after a difficult week," he said.

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

Pressed on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City boss elaborated: "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 within at Chelsea, he answered: "In general. In general," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at supporters or the media: "I adore the fans and we are very happy with the fans."

Injury & Suspension Crisis

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and suspension problems, noting they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for much 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 without Moises Caicedo, eleven of them without 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 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer there, we have said many times that he's our top player but we play the vast majority of the season minus our top player.

"We play five 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 like people externally to acknowledge because the commitment from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's success 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 scheduled next week.

Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Comments

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

In that period, the Italian had traveled back with his staff and players from his native Italy, held a session at Cobham, attended a pre-match news conference where he seemed relaxed, and secured a victory over an high-flying Everton team.

It was hard to discern whether any particular media reports had irked him, if social media comments played a role, or if it was something more significant from inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to rule out 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.