The Boss Maresca Labels Pre-Match Period as His 'Most Difficult 48 Hours' at the Blues
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca remarked that the run-up to the weekend's triumph against Everton was "the most challenging 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.
The Italian delivered a puzzling statement in his after-game press conference despite securing a 2-0 win at home through strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those three precious points lifted Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps lightening the atmosphere after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's drought without a win to consecutive matches.
But, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and overall display, Maresca unexpectedly shared his annoyance over the previous 48-hour period within the organization.
"How the lads want to develop has been superb and this is the reason why I praise them - because with numerous challenges, they are excelling after a tricky week," he stated.
"Since I joined the club, the previous 48 hours have been the worst because many people failed to back us."
When pushed further on his meaning, the ex- Leicester City boss added: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team."
When questioned if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he answered: "In general. Overall," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at supporters or the media: "I adore the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."
Fitness and Suspension Crisis
Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's ongoing injury and disciplinary issues, noting they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, in addition to losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to two serious injuries.
"I truly applaud 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, nearly every one of them without Liam Delap," he explained.
"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are doing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our top player but we play the vast majority of the season without our best player.
"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would like people externally to appreciate because the commitment from the players is outstanding."
Chelsea's win over Everton strengthened their standing in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled next week.
Speculation Over Maresca's Remark
It was unclear who or what prompted Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his spell as Chelsea manager.
In that window, the coach had returned with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a training session at the training ground, faced a pre-game news conference where he appeared at ease, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton team.
It was hard to discern whether any specific press stories had irked him, if online comments were a factor, or if it was something more significant from within the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an issue involving the club's supporters, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester during July last year.