🔗 Share this article Chelsea's Manager Maresca Labels Lead-Up Time as The 'Worst 48 Hours' at the Club Enzo Maresca signed for Chelsea after leaving Leicester during July 2024. 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 offered a somewhat cryptic statement in his after-game 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 Premier League's top four, perhaps lightening the atmosphere following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's winless run to consecutive fixtures. Yet, when asked about Gusto's contribution and overall display, Maresca surprisingly divulged his annoyance over the preceding two days within the club. "How the lads are eager to develop has been excellent and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with a host of issues, they are doing very well after a tricky week," he commented. "From the moment I arrived at the club, the past 48 hours have been the toughest because many people withheld support from us." Pressed on what he meant, the former Leicester City boss added: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team." When asked if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he responded: "Broadly speaking. In general," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely content with the fans." Injury & Suspension Woes Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing injury and disciplinary issues, noting they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, as well as being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to two serious 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, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he explained. "And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are performing exceptionally. Today was 5 games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer available, we said many times that he's our best player but we play the vast majority of the season minus 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 like people externally to recognize because the commitment from the players is remarkable." Chelsea's success over Everton consolidated their standing 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 next week. Uncertainty Over Maresca's Comments It was unclear what exactly prompted Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea manager. In that window, the Italian had returned with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, held a session at Cobham, attended a pre-match press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and secured a victory over an in-form Everton side. It was unclear whether any particular press stories had irked him, if online discourse played a role, or if it was something deeper from within the club at Stamford Bridge. Maresca specifically took care to deny that it was an issue involving the club's supporters, some of whom have not yet fully warm to him since his appointment from Leicester during July last year.
Enzo Maresca signed for Chelsea after leaving Leicester during July 2024. 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 offered a somewhat cryptic statement in his after-game 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 Premier League's top four, perhaps lightening the atmosphere following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's winless run to consecutive fixtures. Yet, when asked about Gusto's contribution and overall display, Maresca surprisingly divulged his annoyance over the preceding two days within the club. "How the lads are eager to develop has been excellent and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with a host of issues, they are doing very well after a tricky week," he commented. "From the moment I arrived at the club, the past 48 hours have been the toughest because many people withheld support from us." Pressed on what he meant, the former Leicester City boss added: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team." When asked if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he responded: "Broadly speaking. In general," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely content with the fans." Injury & Suspension Woes Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing injury and disciplinary issues, noting they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, as well as being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to two serious 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, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he explained. "And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are performing exceptionally. Today was 5 games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer available, we said many times that he's our best player but we play the vast majority of the season minus 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 like people externally to recognize because the commitment from the players is remarkable." Chelsea's success over Everton consolidated their standing 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 next week. Uncertainty Over Maresca's Comments It was unclear what exactly prompted Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea manager. In that window, the Italian had returned with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, held a session at Cobham, attended a pre-match press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and secured a victory over an in-form Everton side. It was unclear whether any particular press stories had irked him, if online discourse played a role, or if it was something deeper from within the club at Stamford Bridge. Maresca specifically took care to deny that it was an issue involving the club's supporters, some of whom have not yet fully warm to him since his appointment from Leicester during July last year.