The Manager Maresca Describes Lead-Up Time as The 'Toughest 48 Hours' with the Blues

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the preparation to the weekend's win against Everton represented "the toughest 48 hours" he has experienced at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old offered a rather mysterious message in his post-match interview despite notching a 2-0 win at home courtesy of finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points lifted Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps lightening the atmosphere following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's winless run to consecutive outings.

But, when asked about Gusto's assist and overall performance, Maresca surprisingly shared his frustration over the previous two days within the club.

"How the squad want to learn has been excellent and this is the reason why I applaud them - because with a host of challenges, they are doing very well after a complicated week," he commented.

"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the most difficult because several people failed to back us."

When pushed further on his meaning, the ex- Leicester City manager added: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When questioned if he meant people within at Chelsea, he replied: "Broadly speaking. In general," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the press: "I adore the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."

Injury & Suspension Crisis

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's persistent fitness and suspension problems, remarking they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for much of the season, as well as being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

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

"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are doing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so certainly 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 minus 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 appreciate because the effort 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 tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Comments

It was ambiguous who or what prompted Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea head coach.

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

It was not obvious whether any particular press stories had irked him, if social media comments played a role, or if it was something deeper from within the club at Stamford Bridge.

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