The Manager Maresca Labels Pre-Match Time as His 'Toughest Two Days' at the Club
Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca revealed that the preparation to Saturday's triumph against Everton constituted "the toughest 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.
The Italian delivered a rather mysterious statement in his post-match interview even after securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those points propelled Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, potentially lightening the atmosphere following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's drought without a win to consecutive fixtures.
Yet, when asked about the full-back's assist and overall display, Maresca surprisingly disclosed his displeasure over the previous 48-hour period at the organization.
"The way the lads are eager to learn has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with a host of issues, they are performing admirably after a tricky week," he stated.
"From the moment I arrived at the club, the past 48 hours have been the worst because several people failed to back us."
Pressed on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City manager added: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team."
When asked if he meant people within at Chelsea, he replied: "Broadly speaking. In general," before specifying when queried if it was directed towards supporters or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."
Fitness and Disciplinary Woes
Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary problems, noting they had been missing star attacker 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 significant injuries.
"I truly commend the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, eleven of them without Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them without Liam Delap," he said.
"And this squad, no matter who is playing, 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 top player but we play the vast majority of the season minus our best player.
"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to recognize because the work from the players is fantastic."
Chelsea's win over Everton strengthened their position 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 in the coming days.
Speculation Over Maresca's Remark
It was ambiguous what exactly caused Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the worst of his tenure as Chelsea manager.
In that timeframe, the coach had returned with his staff and players from his native Italy, conducted a training session at the training ground, faced a pre-game press briefing where he appeared at ease, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton team.
It was hard to discern whether any specific media reports had unsettled him, if social media comments were a factor, or if it was something more significant from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an issue involving the club's fans, some of whom have not yet fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester in July last year.
