🔗 Share this article Chelsea's Manager Enzo Maresca Calls Pre-Match Period as The 'Most Difficult Two Days' with the Club Enzo Maresca moved to Chelsea after leaving Leicester during July of last year. Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the build-up to the weekend's triumph against Everton constituted "the worst 48 hours" he has experienced with the London club. The Italian made a somewhat cryptic message in his after-game media briefing despite securing a 2-0 win at home courtesy of strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto. Those crucial points lifted Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps improving the mood after 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 contribution and general performance, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his displeasure over the previous two days within the club. "How the players are eager to improve has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with numerous problems, they are doing very well after a difficult week," he commented. "Since I joined the club, the past 48 hours have been the toughest because a lot of people failed to back us." When pushed further on his meaning, the former Leicester City boss elaborated: "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 internally at Chelsea, he replied: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before clarifying when asked if it was aimed at supporters or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans." Fitness & Disciplinary Crisis Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing injury and suspension 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 forward Liam Delap to two significant injuries. "I really applaud the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he explained. "And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are performing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer available, we said many times that he's our finest 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 effort from the players is fantastic." Chelsea's win over Everton strengthened their position in fourth 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 Regarding Maresca's Comments It was not immediately clear who or what prompted Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea manager. In that timeframe, the coach had returned with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a session at Cobham, faced a pre-match news conference where he appeared at ease, and secured a win over an high-flying Everton side. It was unclear whether any specific press stories had irked him, if online comments played a role, or if it was something more significant 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 arrival from Leicester in July 2024.
Enzo Maresca moved to Chelsea after leaving Leicester during July of last year. Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the build-up to the weekend's triumph against Everton constituted "the worst 48 hours" he has experienced with the London club. The Italian made a somewhat cryptic message in his after-game media briefing despite securing a 2-0 win at home courtesy of strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto. Those crucial points lifted Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps improving the mood after 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 contribution and general performance, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his displeasure over the previous two days within the club. "How the players are eager to improve has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with numerous problems, they are doing very well after a difficult week," he commented. "Since I joined the club, the past 48 hours have been the toughest because a lot of people failed to back us." When pushed further on his meaning, the former Leicester City boss elaborated: "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 internally at Chelsea, he replied: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before clarifying when asked if it was aimed at supporters or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans." Fitness & Disciplinary Crisis Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing injury and suspension 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 forward Liam Delap to two significant injuries. "I really applaud the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he explained. "And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are performing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer available, we said many times that he's our finest 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 effort from the players is fantastic." Chelsea's win over Everton strengthened their position in fourth 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 Regarding Maresca's Comments It was not immediately clear who or what prompted Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea manager. In that timeframe, the coach had returned with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a session at Cobham, faced a pre-match news conference where he appeared at ease, and secured a win over an high-flying Everton side. It was unclear whether any specific press stories had irked him, if online comments played a role, or if it was something more significant 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 arrival from Leicester in July 2024.