The Manager Maresca Describes Pre-Match Time as The 'Worst 48 Hours' with the Club

Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca remarked that the build-up to Saturday's victory against Everton constituted "the worst 48 hours" of his tenure at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old made a somewhat cryptic comment in his after-game media briefing despite securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge thanks to finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points propelled Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, potentially improving the atmosphere following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's winless run to consecutive matches.

But, when questioned about Gusto's assist and overall display, Maresca surprisingly divulged his annoyance over the preceding two days at the club.

"How the squad want to develop has been superb and this is the explanation why I praise them - because with numerous problems, they are performing admirably after a difficult week," he stated.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the previous 48 hours have been the toughest because a lot of people withheld support from us."

Pressed on his meaning, the ex- Leicester City manager elaborated: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When questioned if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he answered: "In general. Overall," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."

Injury and Suspension Crisis

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing fitness and disciplinary problems, remarking they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, as well as being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to two significant injuries.

"I truly praise 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 without Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are doing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our top player but we play almost all season without our top player.

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

Chelsea's triumph over Everton strengthened their standing 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.

Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Remark

It was not immediately clear who or what caused Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea head coach.

In that timeframe, the Italian had traveled back with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at Cobham, faced a pre-match news conference where he appeared at ease, and secured a victory over an in-form Everton team.

It was not obvious whether any specific media reports had irked him, if social media 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 issue involving the club's supporters, a section of which have not yet fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester in July last year.