The Manager Enzo Maresca Calls Lead-Up Period as His 'Toughest Two Days' at the Blues

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the build-up to the weekend's triumph against Everton represented "the most challenging 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.

The Italian made a puzzling comment in his after-game press conference even after earning a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge thanks to strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points sent Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, potentially improving the atmosphere following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's drought without a win to consecutive matches.

Yet, when asked about the full-back's assist and general display, Maresca surprisingly shared his annoyance over the previous two days at the organization.

"How the squad are eager to learn has been superb and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with a host of challenges, they are excelling after a tricky week," he commented.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the last 48 hours have been the toughest because several people failed to back us."

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

When asked if he meant people within at Chelsea, he responded: "In general. In general," before specifying when queried if it was directed towards fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely content with the fans."

Injury and Suspension Woes

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and disciplinary problems, remarking they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, as well as losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of 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 minus Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are performing brilliantly. 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 top player but we play the vast majority of the season minus 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 outside to acknowledge because the work from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's triumph over Everton strengthened their position in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Remark

It was ambiguous what exactly prompted Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his time as Chelsea manager.

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

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

Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an issue involving the club's supporters, some of whom have not yet fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester during July last year.