The Boss Maresca Describes Pre-Match Time as The 'Toughest Two Days' with the Blues

Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca remarked that the preparation to the weekend's victory against Everton constituted "the toughest 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.

The Italian offered a somewhat cryptic comment in his after-game press conference despite notching a 2-0 win at home through strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points propelled Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, perhaps improving the atmosphere after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's drought without a win to four fixtures.

However, when questioned about Gusto's assist and general performance, Maresca surprisingly divulged his displeasure over the preceding two days within the organization.

"How the squad are eager to improve has been superb and this is the reason why I applaud them - because with numerous challenges, they are doing very well after a tricky week," he commented.

"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because a lot of people didn't support us."

When pushed further on his meaning, the ex- Leicester City boss continued: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When questioned if he meant people within at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. Overall," before clarifying when asked if it was aimed at supporters or the press: "I adore the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."

Fitness & Disciplinary Woes

Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary issues, noting they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, in addition to being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of serious injuries.

"I really commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them minus Moises Caicedo, eleven of them without 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 certainly when you see Cole Palmer playing, we have 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 minus Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would want people externally to acknowledge because the commitment from the players is fantastic."

Chelsea's triumph over Everton consolidated their standing in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup last-eight clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come next week.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Comments

It was ambiguous who or what prompted Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea head coach.

In that period, the coach had returned with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, held a session at Cobham, attended a pre-match press briefing where he seemed at ease, and engineered a win over an in-form Everton side.

It was hard to discern whether any specific 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 deny that it was an matter involving the club's fans, some of whom have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester in July last year.