The Boss Maresca Describes Pre-Match Period as The 'Worst Two Days' at the Club

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the run-up to Saturday's victory against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.

The 44-year-old delivered a rather mysterious message in his after-game interview even after securing a 2-0 win at home through goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points sent Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, perhaps improving the atmosphere following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's drought without a win to consecutive matches.

But, when questioned about the full-back's contribution and overall display, Maresca unexpectedly disclosed his annoyance over the previous two days within the organization.

"How the lads are eager to learn has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with numerous issues, they are doing very well after a complicated week," he stated.

"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the toughest because several people didn't support us."

Pressed on what he meant, the former Leicester City boss added: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When asked if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he responded: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at supporters or the media: "I adore the fans and we are very happy with the fans."

Fitness and Suspension Crisis

Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's ongoing injury and disciplinary problems, noting they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for much of the season, in addition to being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to two serious injuries.

"I truly praise the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them without Moises Caicedo, eleven of them without Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them without Liam Delap," he said.

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

"We play 5 games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the reason 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 fantastic."

Chelsea's win over Everton consolidated their standing in fourth in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Remark

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

In that period, the coach had traveled back with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at the training ground, faced a pre-game news conference where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton side.

It was unclear whether any specific press stories had unsettled him, if social media discourse played a role, or if it was something deeper from inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to deny that it was an matter involving the club's supporters, some of whom have still have yet to fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester during July last year.