Chelsea's Manager Enzo Maresca Labels Lead-Up Period as The 'Worst 48 Hours' with the Blues

Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca revealed that the preparation to the weekend's triumph against Everton was "the most challenging 48 hours" of his tenure at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old offered a puzzling comment in his post-match press conference despite notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge thanks to strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points propelled Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, potentially improving the atmosphere after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's winless run to four outings.

But, when asked about the full-back's assist and general performance, Maresca unexpectedly shared his annoyance over the previous 48-hour period at the organization.

"The way the lads want to develop has been superb and this is the reason why I applaud them - because with so many issues, they are excelling after a complicated week," he stated.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the last 48 hours have been the toughest because a lot of people failed to back us."

Pressed on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City manager added: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When questioned if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he responded: "Broadly speaking. In general," before clarifying when queried if it was directed towards fans or the media: "I adore the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."

Injury & Disciplinary Crisis

Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary issues, noting they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, in addition to being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to two significant injuries.

"I really praise the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, eleven of them minus Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, 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 without our top 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 want people outside to appreciate because the effort from the players is fantastic."

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

Speculation Over Maresca's Comments

It was not immediately clear what exactly caused Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the worst of his spell as Chelsea head coach.

In that period, the Italian had returned with his staff and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at the training ground, faced a pre-match press briefing where he seemed at ease, and secured a win over an in-form Everton team.

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

Maresca specifically took care to deny that it was an matter involving the club's supporters, a section of which have still have yet to fully warm to him since his appointment from Leicester in July last year.