Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca described the build-up to Saturday’s victory over Everton as “the worst 48 hours” since he arrived at the club.
The Italian delivered a cryptic message in his post-match news conference despite the 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
The three points, which lifted Chelsea back into the Premier League top four, might have improved the mood after defeat at Atalanta in the Champions League extended Chelsea’s winless run to four matches.
However, when asked about Gusto’s assist and overall performance, Maresca surprisingly revealed his frustration over the previous two days at the club.
“The way the players want to learn has been fantastic and this is the reason why I praise them – because with so many problems, they are doing very well after a complicated week,” he said.
“Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because many people didn’t support us.”
Pressed on what he meant, the former Leicester City manager added: “Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn’t support me and the team.”
When asked if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he replied: “In general. In general,” before clarifying when asked if it was aimed at fans or the media: “I love the fans and we are very happy with the fans.”
Maresca also highlighted Chelsea’s injury and suspension issues, pointing out they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for much of the season, as well as losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to two significant injuries.
“I really praise the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap,” he said.
“And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are doing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he’s our best player but we play almost all season without our best player.
“We play five games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I’m so happy for the players and it’s something that I would like people outside to appreciate because the effort from the players is fantastic.”
Chelsea’s victory over Everton consolidated their position in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come next week.