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

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the preparation to Saturday's win against Everton represented "the most challenging 48 hours" he has experienced with the London club.

The Italian delivered a somewhat cryptic comment in his post-match media briefing even after notching a 2-0 win at home through finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those crucial points sent Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps lightening the atmosphere 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 assist and general display, Maresca surprisingly shared his annoyance over the previous 48-hour period at the organization.

"How the squad are eager to develop has been fantastic and this is the reason why I commend them - because with a host of problems, they are excelling after a complicated week," he stated.

"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because a lot of people failed to back us."

Pressed on what he meant, the former Leicester City boss continued: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When asked if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he responded: "Broadly speaking. In general," before specifying when asked if it was directed towards supporters or the media: "I love the fans and we are very pleased with the fans."

Injury and Suspension Woes

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing fitness and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, in addition to losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

"I truly praise the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, five of them minus Moises Caicedo, eleven of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are performing fantastic. Today was 5 games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer available, we have said many times that he's our best 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 reason why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would like people externally to acknowledge because the effort from the players is fantastic."

Chelsea's win over Everton consolidated their position in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come next week.

Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Comments

It was unclear what exactly caused Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his tenure as Chelsea head coach.

In that timeframe, the coach had returned with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a session at Cobham, faced a pre-game news conference where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a win over an in-form Everton team.

It was unclear whether any specific press stories had unsettled him, if social media discourse were a factor, or if it was something more significant from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an issue involving the club's fans, some of whom have still have yet to fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester in July last year.