Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca revealed that the run-up to Saturday's victory against Everton constituted "the most challenging 48 hours" since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.
The Italian delivered a somewhat cryptic comment in his post-match interview even after earning a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge through strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those points propelled Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps lightening the mood after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's winless run to consecutive fixtures.
But, when questioned about the full-back's assist and overall display, Maresca surprisingly divulged his annoyance over the previous 48-hour period at the club.
"How the squad are eager to improve has been fantastic and this is the reason why I applaud them - because with numerous problems, they are performing admirably after a difficult week," he said.
"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because a lot of people failed to back us."
When pushed further on the specifics, the ex- Leicester City boss elaborated: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."
When questioned if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he responded: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the press: "I adore the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."
Injury & Disciplinary Crisis
Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, as well as being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of 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 without Liam Delap," he explained.
"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are performing fantastic. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer there, we have said many times that he's our finest player but we play almost all season without our top player.
"We play five 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 want people externally to recognize because the work from the players is outstanding."
Chelsea's triumph over Everton strengthened their position in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come next week.
Speculation Over Maresca's Remark
It was unclear who or what prompted Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his spell as Chelsea head coach.
In that period, the Italian had traveled back with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, conducted a session at the training ground, attended a pre-match press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton team.
It was not obvious whether any specific media reports had unsettled him, if online discourse played a role, or if it was something deeper from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an issue related to the club's fans, a section of which have not yet fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester in July 2024.
