Chelsea's Boss Maresca Labels Pre-Match Time as The 'Worst 48 Hours' at the Blues

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca remarked that the build-up to Saturday's victory against Everton represented "the most challenging 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.

The 44-year-old made a somewhat cryptic message in his after-game press conference despite securing a 2-0 win at home thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those crucial points sent Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, potentially lightening the mood after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's winless run to consecutive matches.

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

"How the players want to improve has been superb and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with so many challenges, they are excelling after a difficult week," he said.

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

When pushed further on his meaning, the former Leicester City boss added: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."

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

Injury and Suspension Woes

Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's persistent injury and suspension problems, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for much of the season, as well as being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of serious injuries.

"I really 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 five games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer there, we have said many times that he's our finest player but we play almost all season without our best player.

"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to recognize because the effort from the players is remarkable."

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

Speculation Over Maresca's Remark

It was unclear who or what caused Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the worst of his tenure as Chelsea head coach.

In that timeframe, the Italian had returned with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a training session at Cobham, faced a pre-match press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton side.

It was unclear whether any specific media reports had unsettled him, if online discourse were a factor, or if it was something deeper from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to deny that it was an matter involving the club's fans, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester in July last year.