The Boss Maresca Labels Lead-Up Period as His 'Worst Two Days' with the Club
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the build-up to the weekend's win against Everton was "the most challenging 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.
The Italian delivered a rather mysterious comment in his after-game media briefing despite securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those three precious points propelled 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 consecutive matches.
But, when asked about Gusto's contribution and overall display, Maresca unexpectedly shared his frustration over the preceding 48-hour period at the organization.
"How the players want to improve has been fantastic and this is the reason why I praise them - because with numerous problems, they are doing very well after a complicated week," he commented.
"From the moment I arrived at the club, the last 48 hours have been the most difficult because a lot of people failed to back us."
Pressed on his meaning, the ex- Leicester City manager continued: "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 internally at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. Overall," before clarifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the press: "I love the fans and we are very content with the fans."
Fitness & Suspension Woes
Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing injury and suspension problems, remarking they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for much of the season, as well as being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to two significant injuries.
"I truly commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he said.
"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are doing exceptionally. 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 best player but we play the vast majority of the season minus our top player.
"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to recognize because the effort from the players is outstanding."
Chelsea's triumph over Everton strengthened their position in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come next week.
Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Remark
It was not immediately clear who or what caused Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his tenure as Chelsea manager.
In that timeframe, the Italian had traveled back with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a session at the training ground, attended a pre-match news conference where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a victory over an in-form Everton side.
It was unclear whether any particular media reports had irked him, if social media comments 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 issue involving the club's fans, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester during July last year.