Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca revealed that the build-up to Saturday's triumph against Everton constituted "the most challenging 48 hours" of his tenure at Stamford Bridge.
The Italian made a puzzling statement in his post-match interview despite notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those crucial points propelled Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, perhaps improving the atmosphere following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's drought without a win to consecutive fixtures.
However, when asked about the full-back's contribution and general performance, Maresca surprisingly shared his frustration over the preceding 48-hour period at the organization.
"How the lads want to improve has been superb and this is the explanation why I praise them - because with a host of challenges, they are doing very well after a tricky week," he commented.
"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because a lot of people failed to back us."
Pressed on his meaning, the former Leicester City manager continued: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."
When questioned if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he responded: "In general. In general," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at supporters or the media: "I adore the fans and we are very content with the fans."
Injury & Disciplinary Crisis
Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent fitness and suspension issues, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for much of the season, as well as being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of serious injuries.
"I truly applaud the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them without Moises Caicedo, eleven of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.
"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are doing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer playing, we have said many times that he's our finest player but we play almost all season without our top player.
"We play 5 games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would want people outside to appreciate because the work from the players is outstanding."
Chelsea's triumph over Everton strengthened their standing in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come next week.
Speculation Regarding Maresca's Comments
It was ambiguous who or what prompted Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his tenure as Chelsea manager.
In that timeframe, the Italian had traveled back with his staff and players from his native Italy, held a session at the training ground, attended a pre-match news conference where he appeared at ease, and engineered a win over an high-flying Everton side.
It was unclear whether any particular press stories had irked him, if online discourse were a factor, or if it was something more significant from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca only sought to deny that it was an matter related to the club's supporters, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester in July last year.
