The Manager Maresca Calls Lead-Up Period as His 'Worst Two Days' with the Club

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca revealed that the preparation to the weekend's triumph against Everton represented "the most challenging 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.

The 44-year-old delivered a puzzling message in his after-game press conference despite notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge thanks to strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points propelled Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, potentially improving the mood following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's winless run to consecutive outings.

However, when asked about Gusto's contribution and general display, Maresca surprisingly disclosed his frustration over the preceding two days at the organization.

"The way the lads are eager to learn has been superb and this is the reason why I praise them - because with a host of problems, they are performing admirably after a complicated week," he commented.

"Since I joined the club, the past 48 hours have been the toughest because several people failed to back us."

Pressed on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City manager continued: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When questioned if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he answered: "Broadly speaking. In general," before clarifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the media: "I adore the fans and we are very content with the fans."

Fitness & Disciplinary Crisis

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's persistent injury and suspension problems, noting they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, 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 applaud the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, eleven of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are performing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our finest player but we play the vast majority of the season without our best player.

"We play 5 games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would like people externally to appreciate because the work from the players is fantastic."

Chelsea's win over Everton consolidated their position in 4th place 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 Remark

It was not immediately clear what exactly caused Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the worst of his spell as Chelsea manager.

In that window, the Italian had returned with his staff and players from Bergamo, held a training session at the training ground, attended a pre-game news conference where he appeared at ease, and engineered a win over an high-flying Everton side.

It was hard to discern whether any specific press stories had irked him, if social media 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 matter related to 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.