The Boss Enzo Maresca Calls Pre-Match Time as His 'Most Difficult Two Days' with the Club

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca revealed that the build-up to the weekend's victory against Everton was "the toughest 48 hours" of his tenure at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old offered a rather mysterious message in his after-game press conference despite securing a 2-0 win at home courtesy of strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those crucial points lifted 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 stretched the side's drought without a win to four matches.

But, when asked about Gusto's assist and overall display, Maresca unexpectedly shared his annoyance over the previous 48-hour period at the club.

"The way the squad want to learn has been superb and this is the explanation why I praise them - because with a host of challenges, they are excelling after a difficult week," he commented.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because several people failed to back us."

When pushed further on his meaning, the ex- Leicester City boss added: "Most difficult 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 internally at Chelsea, he answered: "Broadly speaking. In general," before clarifying when asked if it was directed towards fans or the press: "I adore the fans and we are extremely content with the fans."

Fitness & Disciplinary Woes

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing fitness and suspension problems, remarking they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, in addition to losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of serious injuries.

"I truly 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, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are doing brilliantly. Today was five games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our best 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 reason why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would want people outside to acknowledge because the commitment from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's success over Everton cemented their position in fourth in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup last-eight clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled next week.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Comments

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

In that window, the Italian had returned with his staff and players from Bergamo, held a training session at Cobham, faced a pre-match news conference where he seemed at ease, and engineered a win over an in-form Everton side.

It was not obvious whether any specific press stories had irked him, if online comments played a role, or if it was something deeper from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an matter involving the club's supporters, a section of which have not yet fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester during July last year.