The Boss Maresca Labels Lead-Up Time as The 'Most Difficult Two Days' with the Club

Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca stated that the run-up to the weekend's win against Everton represented "the toughest 48 hours" of his tenure at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old delivered a rather mysterious comment in his post-match press conference even after securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points sent Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, potentially lightening the atmosphere following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's drought without a win to four fixtures.

Yet, when questioned about the full-back's assist and overall performance, Maresca surprisingly shared his displeasure over the previous 48-hour period at the organization.

"How the squad are eager to develop has been excellent and this is the reason why I applaud them - because with so many issues, they are excelling after a complicated week," he stated.

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

When pushed further on his meaning, the former Leicester City manager added: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When asked if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. In general," before specifying when asked if it was aimed at supporters or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."

Fitness & Suspension Woes

Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary problems, noting they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, in addition to losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to two serious injuries.

"I truly commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus 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 playing, we have said many times that he's our finest 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 reason why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to appreciate because the work from the players is fantastic."

Chelsea's triumph over Everton cemented their standing in fourth in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Remark

It was ambiguous what exactly prompted Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his tenure as Chelsea head coach.

In that window, the coach had returned with his staff and players from Bergamo, held a training session at Cobham, faced a pre-match press briefing where he appeared at ease, and engineered a victory over an high-flying 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 hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an issue involving the club's fans, some of whom have still have yet to fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester during July last year.