Chelsea's Manager Maresca Labels Pre-Match Period as The 'Worst 48 Hours' at the Club
Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca remarked that the preparation to Saturday's triumph against Everton represented "the most challenging 48 hours" since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.
The Italian offered a rather mysterious message in his after-game interview even after notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge through strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those crucial points sent Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps lightening the atmosphere following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's drought without a win to four outings.
Yet, when asked about the full-back's assist and general performance, Maresca surprisingly shared his annoyance over the previous 48-hour period at the organization.
"How the lads want to develop has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I praise them - because with a host of challenges, they are performing admirably after a tricky week," he stated.
"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the most difficult because several people didn't support us."
When pushed further on what he meant, the former Leicester City manager elaborated: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."
When questioned if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he answered: "Broadly speaking. In general," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the media: "I adore the fans and we are very pleased with the fans."
Fitness and Disciplinary Crisis
Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing fitness and suspension issues, remarking they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, as well as being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to two significant injuries.
"I truly commend the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them minus Moises Caicedo, 11 of them minus Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.
"And this squad, no matter who is playing, 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 finest player but we play the vast majority of the season minus our top player.
"We play 5 games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so happy 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 win over Everton strengthened their standing in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup last-eight clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.
Speculation Regarding Maresca's Comments
It was ambiguous who or what caused Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his spell as Chelsea manager.
In that timeframe, the Italian had traveled back with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, held a training session at Cobham, faced a pre-match news conference where he appeared at ease, and secured a victory over an high-flying Everton side.
It was hard to discern whether any specific media reports had irked him, if online discourse were a factor, or if it was something more significant from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an issue involving the club's supporters, a section of which have not yet fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester during July last year.