The Manager Maresca Describes Lead-Up Time as The 'Worst 48 Hours' at the Club

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca remarked that the run-up to the weekend's victory against Everton represented "the toughest 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.

The Italian made a somewhat cryptic comment in his after-game media briefing despite notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points lifted Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, perhaps improving the atmosphere following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's winless run to four outings.

But, when questioned about the full-back's contribution and overall display, Maresca surprisingly divulged his frustration over the preceding two days at the organization.

"How the squad want to improve has been excellent and this is the reason why I praise them - because with so many challenges, they are doing very well after a tricky week," he commented.

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

Pressed on what he meant, the former Leicester City boss elaborated: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When asked if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he replied: "Broadly speaking. In general," before clarifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the press: "I adore the fans and we are very pleased with the fans."

Fitness & Disciplinary Crisis

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing fitness and suspension issues, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, in addition to being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to two serious injuries.

"I really applaud the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them without Moises Caicedo, eleven of them without Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are performing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer available, we have said many times that he's our best player but we play the vast majority of the season without our top player.

"We play 5 games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would want people outside to recognize because the effort from the players is outstanding."

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

Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Remark

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

In that period, the coach had traveled back with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, conducted a session at the training ground, faced a pre-match press briefing where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a win over an high-flying Everton side.

It was unclear whether any specific media reports had unsettled him, if social media comments were a factor, or if it was something deeper from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an issue involving the club's fans, some of whom have not yet fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester during July last year.