Enzo Maresca, the manager of Chelsea, has described the period leading up to Saturday’s triumph over Everton “the worst 48 hours” since he joined the team.
Despite the 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto, the Italian gave a mysterious statement at his post-match press conference.
After Chelsea’s Champions League loss at Atalanta stretched their losing streak to four games, the three points that put Chelsea back in the top four of the Premier League may have brightened the spirits.
However, Maresca unexpectedly expressed his dissatisfaction with the previous two days at the club when questioned about Gusto’s assist and general performance.
“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.”
Speaking 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.”
He said, “In general,” when asked if he meant Chelsea employees. “In general,” he said, adding, “I love the fans, and we are very happy with the fans” in response to a question about whether it was directed at supporters or the media.
Maresca also emphasized Chelsea’s problems with injuries and suspensions, pointing out that they had lost star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, striker Liam Delap to two serious injuries, and important midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match suspension.
“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, and 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’ve 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 solidified their place in fourth place in the Premier League standings.
Next week, they will go to Newcastle for the league and play in the Carabao Cup quarterfinal at Cardiff.
