The Manager Maresca Calls Pre-Match Period as His 'Worst 48 Hours' at the Blues
Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca revealed that the build-up to Saturday's triumph against Everton represented "the toughest 48 hours" since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.
The 44-year-old made a rather mysterious comment in his after-game interview even after notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those three precious points lifted 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 side's winless run to consecutive outings.
Yet, when asked about the full-back's assist and general performance, Maresca surprisingly divulged his displeasure over the preceding two days at the organization.
"The way the squad are eager to develop has been excellent and this is the reason why I praise them - because with numerous issues, they are performing admirably after a difficult week," he commented.
"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because many people failed to back us."
Pressed on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City manager elaborated: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."
When questioned if he meant people within at Chelsea, he answered: "In general. Overall," before specifying when asked if it was directed towards supporters or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely content with the fans."
Injury & Suspension Woes
Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's ongoing injury and suspension issues, noting they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, as well as being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to two serious injuries.
"I really commend the players and the squad because we 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 explained.
"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are performing brilliantly. Today was five games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer playing, we said many times that he's our finest player but we play the vast majority of the season without our top player.
"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would like people externally to acknowledge because the commitment from the players is remarkable."
Chelsea's triumph over Everton strengthened their position in fourth 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 Comments
It was unclear what exactly prompted Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his time as Chelsea manager.
In that period, the coach had traveled back with his staff and players from Bergamo, conducted a training session at Cobham, faced a pre-game news conference where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a win over an high-flying Everton side.
It was hard to discern whether any specific press stories had irked him, if online comments played a role, or if it was something more significant from inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an issue related to the club's fans, a section of which have not yet fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester in July last year.
