The Boss Enzo Maresca Describes Pre-Match Period as The 'Most Difficult Two Days' with the Club

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the preparation to the weekend's victory against Everton constituted "the most challenging 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.

The Italian delivered a puzzling comment in his after-game press conference even after notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those crucial points propelled Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, potentially improving the mood after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's winless run to consecutive outings.

However, when asked about the full-back's assist and general display, Maresca unexpectedly disclosed his annoyance over the previous two days within the club.

"How the squad want to learn has been fantastic and this is the reason why I commend them - because with a host of issues, they are performing admirably after a tricky week," he said.

"Since I joined the club, the previous 48 hours have been the most difficult because a lot of people didn't support us."

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

When asked if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. In general," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at supporters or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."

Fitness & Suspension Crisis

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, as well as being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of serious injuries.

"I really praise the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them minus Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are doing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer there, we have said many times that he's our top player but we play almost all season without our best 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 work from the players is fantastic."

Chelsea's triumph over Everton cemented their standing in fourth in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup last-eight clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Remark

It was ambiguous what exactly prompted Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his time as Chelsea head coach.

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

It was unclear whether any specific press stories had unsettled him, if social media discourse played a role, or if it was something deeper from inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an issue involving the club's supporters, a section of which have not yet fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester in July last year.