The Boss Enzo Maresca Labels Lead-Up Period as His 'Worst Two Days' at the Club
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the preparation to Saturday's victory against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" he has experienced with the London club.
The Italian delivered a rather mysterious message in his post-match interview despite securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge thanks to strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those points propelled Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, potentially lightening the atmosphere following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's drought without a win to four outings.
However, when asked about the full-back's assist and general performance, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his frustration over the preceding two days at the organization.
"How the squad want to develop has been superb and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with a host of challenges, they are excelling after a tricky week," he stated.
"From the moment I arrived at the club, the last 48 hours have been the toughest because a lot of people withheld support from us."
When pushed further on his meaning, the ex- Leicester City manager 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 replied: "In general. Overall," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at supporters or the media: "I adore the fans and we are very content with the fans."
Fitness and Suspension Crisis
Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent fitness and suspension issues, noting they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for much of the season, as well as losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.
"I really applaud the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them minus Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he said.
"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are doing fantastic. Today was 5 games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer playing, we said many times that he's our top player but we play almost all season minus our best player.
"We play 5 games in the Premier League minus 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 commitment from the players is fantastic."
Chelsea's success over Everton strengthened their standing in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup last-eight clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.
Speculation Regarding Maresca's Comments
It was ambiguous what exactly prompted Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his tenure as Chelsea head coach.
In that timeframe, the coach had returned with his staff and players from his native Italy, conducted a training session at the training ground, faced a pre-match press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and secured a win over an high-flying Everton team.
It was hard to discern whether any particular media reports had irked him, if online comments were a factor, or if it was something more significant from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an matter related to the club's supporters, a section of which have still have yet to fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester during July last year.