The Boss Maresca Describes Pre-Match Time as His 'Most Difficult Two Days' at the Club

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca remarked that the build-up to Saturday's triumph against Everton represented "the toughest 48 hours" he has experienced with the London club.

The Italian offered a somewhat cryptic statement in his after-game interview even after earning a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points sent Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, potentially improving the atmosphere following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's drought without a win to four fixtures.

However, when asked about Gusto's assist and general performance, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his annoyance over the previous two days at the club.

"How the squad are eager to develop has been excellent and this is the reason why I commend them - because with a host of problems, they are excelling after a complicated week," he said.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the past 48 hours have been the worst because several people failed to back us."

Pressed on his meaning, the former Leicester City boss continued: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When asked if he meant people within at Chelsea, he answered: "In general. In general," before specifying when queried if it was directed towards fans or the press: "I love the fans and we are very content with the fans."

Fitness and Suspension Woes

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's persistent fitness and suspension issues, noting they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, as well as being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to two serious injuries.

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

"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are doing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer available, we said many times that he's our top player but we play almost all season minus our top player.

"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would want people externally to appreciate because the effort from the players is outstanding."

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 trip to Newcastle to come next week.

Uncertainty Over Maresca's Remark

It was ambiguous what exactly caused Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea manager.

In that window, the Italian had traveled back with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, conducted a training session at the training ground, attended a pre-game news conference where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton side.

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

Maresca specifically took care to deny that it was an issue involving the club's fans, some of whom have not yet fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester in July last year.