Chelsea's Manager Maresca Labels Lead-Up Time as His 'Toughest 48 Hours' at the Blues
Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca revealed that the run-up to Saturday's win against Everton represented "the most challenging 48 hours" of his tenure at Stamford Bridge.
The 44-year-old delivered a puzzling statement in his post-match media briefing despite securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge through strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those three precious points sent Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps lightening the mood after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's winless run to four matches.
But, when questioned about the full-back's contribution and overall performance, Maresca unexpectedly shared his annoyance over the preceding 48-hour period within the club.
"How the lads are eager to learn has been fantastic and this is the reason why I praise them - because with numerous problems, they are excelling after a difficult week," he commented.
"From the moment I arrived at the club, the past 48 hours have been the worst because a lot of people failed to back us."
When pushed further on the specifics, the ex- Leicester City boss continued: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."
When asked if he meant people within at Chelsea, he answered: "In general. In general," before specifying when asked if it was aimed at supporters or the media: "I love the fans and we are very pleased with the fans."
Fitness & Disciplinary Crisis
Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing fitness and disciplinary problems, noting they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, as well as being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to two serious injuries.
"I really praise the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he said.
"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are doing 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 minus our top player.
"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would want people outside to recognize because the effort from the players is remarkable."
Chelsea's triumph over Everton cemented 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 next week.
Speculation Over Maresca's Remark
It was not immediately clear what exactly prompted Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the worst of his tenure as Chelsea head coach.
In that timeframe, the Italian had traveled back with his staff and players from Bergamo, conducted a training session at Cobham, faced a pre-game news conference where he seemed at ease, and secured a win over an high-flying Everton team.
It was not obvious whether any particular press stories had unsettled him, if social media comments played a role, or if it was something more significant from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an issue related to the club's supporters, some of whom have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester in July 2024.
