The Boss Enzo Maresca Labels Pre-Match Period as The 'Most Difficult 48 Hours' at the Club

Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca stated that the build-up to Saturday's triumph against Everton was "the toughest 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.

The Italian delivered a rather mysterious statement in his after-game media briefing even after securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points lifted Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps improving the mood following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's winless run to consecutive outings.

Yet, when asked about Gusto's assist and overall performance, Maresca surprisingly shared his annoyance over the previous two days within the club.

"How the lads are eager to learn has been superb and this is the reason why I praise them - because with a host of issues, they are performing admirably after a complicated week," he commented.

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

Pressed on his meaning, the former Leicester City boss added: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When asked if he meant people within at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. Overall," before specifying when asked if it was directed towards fans or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely content with the fans."

Fitness & Disciplinary Woes

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's persistent injury and suspension issues, noting 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 striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

"I truly applaud the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are doing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so undoubtedly 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 without Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so pleased 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 strengthened their standing in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup last-eight clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come next week.

Uncertainty Over Maresca's Remark

It was ambiguous what exactly prompted Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his spell as Chelsea manager.

In that timeframe, the coach had returned with his staff and players from his native Italy, held a session at the training ground, faced a pre-match news conference where he appeared relaxed, and secured a win over an high-flying Everton team.

It was unclear whether any particular press stories had irked him, if online discourse played a role, or if it was something more significant from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to deny that it was an matter related to the club's fans, a section of which have not yet fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester during July last year.