The Boss Enzo Maresca Describes Lead-Up Period as The 'Worst Two Days' with the Club

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca stated that the preparation to the weekend's victory against Everton represented "the toughest 48 hours" he has experienced with the London club.

The 44-year-old made a somewhat cryptic statement in his after-game media briefing despite earning a 2-0 win at home thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points lifted Chelsea once again 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 winless run to consecutive outings.

But, when asked about Gusto's contribution and overall performance, Maresca surprisingly disclosed his annoyance over the preceding two days within the organization.

"The way the players want to learn has been excellent and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with numerous challenges, they are performing admirably after a complicated week," he said.

"Since I joined the club, the past 48 hours have been the most difficult because a lot of people didn't support us."

When pushed further on his meaning, the ex- Leicester City boss elaborated: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When questioned if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he answered: "Broadly speaking. In general," before specifying when asked 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 drew attention to Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary issues, noting they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, in addition to being deprived of linchpin 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 have played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them minus Moises Caicedo, eleven of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are performing fantastic. Today was 5 games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer playing, we have said many times that he's our finest player but we play almost all season without our best player.

"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would like people externally to recognize because the commitment from the players is remarkable."

Chelsea's triumph over Everton consolidated their position in fourth in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup last-eight clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come in the coming days.

Uncertainty Over Maresca's Comments

It was not immediately clear what exactly caused Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his time as Chelsea head coach.

In that timeframe, the Italian had traveled back with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, held a session at the training ground, faced a pre-match press briefing where he appeared at ease, and engineered a win over an high-flying Everton team.

It was not obvious whether any particular press stories had irked him, if social media comments were a factor, or if it was something deeper from inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to deny that it was an issue related to the club's fans, some of whom have not yet fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester in July last year.