The Boss Enzo Maresca Labels Lead-Up Time as His 'Most Difficult Two Days' at the Blues

Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca revealed that the preparation to the weekend's victory against Everton represented "the most challenging 48 hours" he has experienced with the London club.

The 44-year-old offered a rather mysterious statement in his after-game press conference despite earning a 2-0 win at home courtesy of goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points sent Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, potentially lightening the mood following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's drought without a win to consecutive fixtures.

Yet, when questioned about the full-back's contribution and general display, Maresca surprisingly divulged his displeasure over the previous 48-hour period at the club.

"The way the lads want to learn has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with a host of challenges, they are doing very well after a difficult week," he stated.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the past 48 hours have been the most difficult because several people withheld support from us."

When pushed further on his meaning, the ex- Leicester City manager continued: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When asked if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he answered: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before specifying when asked if it was directed towards fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."

Injury & Disciplinary Crisis

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary problems, remarking they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, as well as losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to two significant injuries.

"I really praise the players and the squad because we have 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 said.

"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are doing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer available, we have said many times that he's our finest player but we play almost all season minus our top player.

"We play five games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would like people externally to acknowledge because the work from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's win over Everton cemented their standing in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come next week.

Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Remark

It was unclear who or what caused Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his tenure as Chelsea manager.

In that period, the coach had traveled back with his staff and players from his native Italy, held a training session at the training ground, faced a pre-game news conference where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton side.

It was not obvious whether any particular press stories had unsettled him, if social media discourse played a role, or if it was something deeper from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an issue involving the club's supporters, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester in July last year.