Chelsea's Manager Enzo Maresca Calls Pre-Match Time as His 'Most Difficult 48 Hours' at the Blues

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the preparation to the weekend's victory against Everton constituted "the most challenging 48 hours" he has experienced with the London club.

The Italian offered a puzzling statement in his post-match interview despite notching a 2-0 win at home courtesy of strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points lifted Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, potentially improving the mood following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's winless run to four fixtures.

But, when questioned about Gusto's assist and general display, Maresca unexpectedly disclosed his displeasure over the preceding two days at the club.

"The way the lads are eager to learn has been superb and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with numerous problems, they are performing admirably after a difficult week," he stated.

"Since I joined the club, the previous 48 hours have been the most difficult because several people failed to back us."

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

When asked if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he responded: "In general. 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."

Injury and Suspension Woes

Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and disciplinary problems, noting they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, as well as losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to two serious injuries.

"I truly commend the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them minus 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 certainly when you see Cole Palmer available, we have said many times that he's our best player but we play almost all season without our best player.

"We play 5 games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would want people externally to acknowledge because the commitment from the players is fantastic."

Chelsea's triumph over Everton consolidated their standing 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 Remark

It was unclear 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 returned with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, held a training session at Cobham, faced a pre-game news conference where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a win over an high-flying Everton side.

It was hard to discern whether any specific media reports had irked him, if online discourse played a role, or if it was something deeper from within the club at Stamford Bridge.

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