The Boss Enzo Maresca Labels Pre-Match Time as The 'Toughest 48 Hours' with the Blues

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca revealed that the run-up to the weekend's win against Everton represented "the toughest 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.

The 44-year-old delivered a rather mysterious comment in his after-game interview despite notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

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

But, when asked about Gusto's assist and general display, Maresca surprisingly disclosed his displeasure over the previous 48-hour period at the organization.

"The way the players want to learn has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with numerous problems, they are performing admirably after a complicated week," he commented.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because several people failed to back us."

When pushed further on the specifics, the former Leicester City manager added: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."

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

Injury & Disciplinary Woes

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

"I truly commend 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 minus Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are doing fantastic. Today was 5 games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer available, we have said many times that he's our finest 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 explanation why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would want people outside to appreciate because the work from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's win over Everton strengthened their position in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come in the coming days.

Speculation Over Maresca's Comments

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

In that period, the Italian had traveled back with his staff and players from his native Italy, held a training session at Cobham, faced a pre-match press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and secured a win over an in-form Everton side.

It was hard to discern whether any specific media reports had irked him, if social media discourse were a factor, or if it was something deeper from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to deny that it was an issue involving the club's supporters, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester in July last year.