Chelsea's Manager Enzo Maresca Labels Lead-Up Time as The 'Worst 48 Hours' at the Club
Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca remarked that the run-up to the weekend's triumph against Everton was "the toughest 48 hours" he has experienced at Stamford Bridge.
The 44-year-old offered a somewhat cryptic message in his after-game interview even after notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge thanks to finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those crucial points propelled Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps improving the atmosphere after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's winless run to four matches.
But, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and overall display, Maresca surprisingly disclosed his frustration over the previous two days within the organization.
"How the squad are eager to develop has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with so many challenges, they are excelling after a tricky week," he stated.
"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the most difficult because several people withheld support from us."
Pressed on the specifics, the ex- Leicester City manager added: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."
When questioned if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he replied: "Broadly speaking. In general," before specifying when asked if it was aimed at fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."
Injury & Suspension Woes
Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's persistent injury and disciplinary problems, noting they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, as well as losing key midfielder 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 minus Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he explained.
"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are performing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer playing, we said many times that he's our best player but we play almost all season without our best player.
"We play 5 games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to appreciate because the commitment 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 journey to Newcastle to come in the coming days.
Speculation Regarding Maresca's Comments
It was ambiguous what exactly caused Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the worst of his tenure as Chelsea manager.
In that period, the Italian had returned with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a session at Cobham, faced a pre-game news conference where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton side.
It was hard to discern whether any particular press stories had irked him, if online comments were a factor, or if it was something more significant from within the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an matter involving the club's fans, a section of which have still have yet to fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester during July 2024.
