The Boss Maresca Calls Lead-Up Time as The 'Toughest 48 Hours' at the Club

Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca revealed that the run-up to Saturday's triumph against Everton represented "the most challenging 48 hours" since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian delivered a somewhat cryptic comment in his after-game interview despite securing a 2-0 win at home through goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those crucial points lifted Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, perhaps lightening the mood after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's drought without a win to consecutive outings.

But, when questioned about the full-back's contribution and general performance, Maresca unexpectedly shared his frustration over the previous two days at the organization.

"How the squad want to develop has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with so many challenges, they are excelling after a complicated week," he stated.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the past 48 hours have been the most difficult because many people failed to back us."

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

When asked if he meant people within at Chelsea, he responded: "In general. Overall," before clarifying when queried if it was aimed at supporters or the media: "I adore the fans and we are very happy with the fans."

Fitness & Suspension Woes

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing injury and suspension problems, remarking they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for much of the season, as well as being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to two serious injuries.

"I really applaud the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them minus Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are doing fantastic. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer available, we have said many times that he's our best player but we play the vast majority of the season without our best player.

"We play 5 games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would like people externally to appreciate because the commitment from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's success over Everton strengthened their standing in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.

Speculation Over Maresca's Remark

It was unclear who or what prompted Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his time as Chelsea head coach.

In that period, the coach had traveled back with his staff and players from his native Italy, conducted a training session at the training ground, faced a pre-game news conference where he seemed at ease, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton team.

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

Maresca specifically took care to deny that it was an matter involving the club's supporters, a section of which have still have yet to fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester during July last year.