đź”— Share this article Chelsea's Manager Enzo Maresca Labels Pre-Match Time as The 'Toughest Two Days' at the Club Enzo Maresca joined Chelsea from Leicester in July of last year. Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca stated that the build-up to Saturday's win against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club. The Italian delivered a puzzling message in his post-match press conference even after securing a 2-0 win at home thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto. Those crucial points propelled Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, perhaps improving the mood after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's winless run to four fixtures. However, when asked about the full-back's assist and general display, Maresca surprisingly shared his displeasure over the preceding two days within the club. "The way the players are eager to improve has been excellent and this is the explanation why I praise them - because with a host of problems, they are doing very well after a tricky week," he stated. "From the moment I arrived at the club, the previous 48 hours have been the worst because many people didn't support us." When pushed further on the specifics, the former Leicester City boss elaborated: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team." When questioned if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he responded: "Broadly speaking. In general," before specifying when asked if it was aimed at supporters or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans." Fitness and Disciplinary Woes Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary problems, remarking they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, as well as being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries. "I truly praise the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, five of them minus Moises Caicedo, eleven of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he explained. "And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are doing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer there, we have said many times that he's our best player but we play the vast majority of the season minus our top player. "We play 5 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 appreciate because the work from the players is remarkable." Chelsea's triumph over Everton cemented their standing in fourth in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled next week. Uncertainty Over Maresca's Remark It was ambiguous what exactly caused Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea head coach. In that timeframe, the coach had returned with his staff and players from Bergamo, held a session at Cobham, faced a pre-game press briefing where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a win over an high-flying Everton team. It was not obvious whether any specific media reports had unsettled him, if online discourse were a factor, or if it was something deeper from inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge. Maresca only sought to deny that it was an matter related to the club's fans, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester during July last year.
Enzo Maresca joined Chelsea from Leicester in July of last year. Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca stated that the build-up to Saturday's win against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club. The Italian delivered a puzzling message in his post-match press conference even after securing a 2-0 win at home thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto. Those crucial points propelled Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, perhaps improving the mood after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's winless run to four fixtures. However, when asked about the full-back's assist and general display, Maresca surprisingly shared his displeasure over the preceding two days within the club. "The way the players are eager to improve has been excellent and this is the explanation why I praise them - because with a host of problems, they are doing very well after a tricky week," he stated. "From the moment I arrived at the club, the previous 48 hours have been the worst because many people didn't support us." When pushed further on the specifics, the former Leicester City boss elaborated: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team." When questioned if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he responded: "Broadly speaking. In general," before specifying when asked if it was aimed at supporters or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans." Fitness and Disciplinary Woes Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary problems, remarking they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, as well as being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries. "I truly praise the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, five of them minus Moises Caicedo, eleven of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he explained. "And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are doing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer there, we have said many times that he's our best player but we play the vast majority of the season minus our top player. "We play 5 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 appreciate because the work from the players is remarkable." Chelsea's triumph over Everton cemented their standing in fourth in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled next week. Uncertainty Over Maresca's Remark It was ambiguous what exactly caused Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea head coach. In that timeframe, the coach had returned with his staff and players from Bergamo, held a session at Cobham, faced a pre-game press briefing where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a win over an high-flying Everton team. It was not obvious whether any specific media reports had unsettled him, if online discourse were a factor, or if it was something deeper from inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge. Maresca only sought to deny that it was an matter related to the club's fans, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester during July last year.