The Boss Enzo Maresca Labels Lead-Up Time as The 'Worst Two Days' with the Club

Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca revealed that the preparation to the weekend's win against Everton represented "the most challenging 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.

The 44-year-old delivered a puzzling statement in his post-match media briefing despite securing a 2-0 win at home courtesy of goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those crucial points propelled Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, potentially improving the mood after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's winless run to four outings.

But, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and general performance, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his displeasure over the previous 48-hour period at the organization.

"How the players want to learn has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with so many issues, they are doing very well after a difficult week," he said.

"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the toughest because many people failed to back us."

Pressed on the specifics, the former Leicester City manager continued: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When asked if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. In general," before clarifying when asked if it was directed towards fans or the media: "I adore the fans and we are extremely content with the fans."

Fitness and Suspension Woes

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary problems, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for much of the season, in addition to losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of serious injuries.

"I truly applaud the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them minus 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 on the pitch, they are performing fantastic. Today was 5 games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer playing, we said many times that he's our best player but we play the vast majority of the season minus our best player.

"We play five 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 trip to Newcastle to come next week.

Speculation Over Maresca's Comments

It was ambiguous who or what caused Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his tenure as Chelsea head coach.

In that timeframe, the coach had traveled back with his staff and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at Cobham, faced a pre-match news conference where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a victory over an in-form Everton side.

It was not obvious whether any specific media reports had irked him, if social media comments were a factor, or if it was something more significant from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an matter 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.