The Boss Enzo Maresca Calls Pre-Match Time as The 'Worst Two Days' at the Club

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the build-up to Saturday's win against Everton represented "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old made a puzzling comment in his after-game interview even after securing a 2-0 win at home through goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points sent Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps improving the atmosphere after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's drought without a win to four outings.

But, when asked about Gusto's contribution and overall performance, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his annoyance over the previous two days within the organization.

"How the players want to learn has been excellent and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with so many problems, they are excelling after a complicated week," he commented.

"Since I joined the club, the previous 48 hours have been the worst because several people withheld support from us."

When pushed further on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City boss continued: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When asked if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he responded: "In general. Overall," before clarifying when queried if it was directed towards supporters or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."

Fitness and Suspension Crisis

Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's persistent injury and suspension issues, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, in addition to being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

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

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are performing brilliantly. Today was five games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer playing, we have said many times that he's our best player but we play the vast majority of the season minus our best player.

"We play five games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would like people externally to appreciate because the commitment from the players is fantastic."

Chelsea's triumph over Everton strengthened their standing in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled next week.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Remark

It was unclear what exactly caused Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his time as Chelsea head coach.

In that period, the Italian 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 secured a win over an in-form Everton team.

It was unclear whether any particular press stories had unsettled him, if social media discourse were a factor, or if it was something deeper from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

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