Chelsea's Manager Enzo Maresca Labels Pre-Match Time as His 'Worst 48 Hours' at the Blues
Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca revealed that the run-up to the weekend's triumph against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" he has experienced at Stamford Bridge.
The Italian made a rather mysterious statement in his after-game press conference even after securing a 2-0 win at home thanks to finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those three precious points lifted Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, perhaps improving the mood following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's winless run to consecutive fixtures.
But, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and overall display, Maresca surprisingly shared his displeasure over the preceding two days within the organization.
"How the lads want to improve has been fantastic and this is the reason why I applaud them - because with numerous challenges, they are doing very well after a complicated week," he commented.
"From the moment I arrived at the club, the past 48 hours have been the toughest because a lot of people withheld support from us."
When pushed further on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City manager continued: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."
When asked if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. Overall," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."
Fitness & Suspension Crisis
Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary problems, remarking they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for much of the season, as well as being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.
"I truly commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them without 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 for sure 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 best player.
"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would like people externally to recognize because the commitment from the players is fantastic."
Chelsea's triumph over Everton consolidated their position in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come next week.
Speculation Regarding Maresca's Comments
It was not immediately clear who or what caused Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea head coach.
In that timeframe, 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-game news conference where he seemed at ease, and engineered a win over an in-form Everton team.
It was hard to discern whether any specific media reports had unsettled him, if online discourse played a role, or if it was something deeper from within the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an matter related to the club's supporters, some of whom have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester in July 2024.
