Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca revealed that the preparation to the weekend's victory against Everton constituted "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.
The Italian made a puzzling message in his post-match media briefing despite earning a 2-0 win at home through finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those three precious points propelled Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, perhaps lightening the atmosphere following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's drought without a win to consecutive outings.
Yet, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and overall performance, Maresca surprisingly divulged his annoyance over the preceding 48-hour period within the club.
"The way the squad want to improve has been excellent and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with a host of problems, they are performing admirably after a difficult week," he said.
"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the toughest because a lot of people failed to back us."
Pressed on his meaning, the ex- Leicester City manager added: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."
When asked if he meant people within at Chelsea, he answered: "In general. Overall," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."
Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing injury and suspension issues, noting 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-game ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of serious injuries.
"I really commend the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, eleven 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 doing exceptionally. Today was five games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer available, we said many times that he's our best 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 reason why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to acknowledge because the commitment from the players is outstanding."
Chelsea's success over Everton consolidated their standing 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.
It was ambiguous what exactly caused Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his time as Chelsea manager.
In that window, the Italian had returned with his staff and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at Cobham, faced a pre-game press briefing where he seemed at ease, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton side.
It was not obvious whether any specific press stories had unsettled him, if social media discourse were a factor, or if it was something deeper from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an issue involving the club's fans, some of whom have not yet fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester during July 2024.
Elara is a seasoned gaming journalist with a passion for slot mechanics and player strategies.
