Enzo Maresca raised eyebrows with his confession following Saturday’s win over Everton that the previous 48 hours had been the hardest of his Chelsea career to date.
The Blues returned to winning ways with a 2-0 home victory against Everton that saw them bounce back from domestic and European defeats.
Despite the victory, Maresca took the opportunity to express his unhappiness at a lack of support.
Maresca didn’t specify who he was referring to, but stressed his ire wasn’t directed at the fans.
‘The last 48 hours has been the worst since I joined the club because many people didn’t support me and the team,’ Maresca said.
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Asked if he meant internally at Chelsea, he replied: ‘In general. In general.’
According to talkSPORT, Maresca’s stunning claim was not an off the cuff remark that came at the end of a difficult week, but his dissatisfaction had been building for some time.
Some eagle-eyed supporters spotted that Chelsea boss opted against wearing any clothing with the club’s emblem on it yesterday but that decision and his subsequent outburst were not related.
Maresca was, at least, quick to back his players as they brought to an end a run that included defeats away at Leeds and Atalanta and a poor goalless draw at Bournemouth.
‘The effort from the players – Reece (James) and Malo are both full-back and today they were both midfielders,’ he said.
‘The effort and open mind and the way they want to learn has been fantastic. This is why I praise the players. With so many problems they are doing very well after a complicated week.’
Cole Palmer’s goal, his first at home from open play since January, had been the story of the match. This has been the most difficult year of Palmer’s career, suffering two significant injuries and making a fraction of the impact he enjoyed during his first 18 months at Chelsea.
Wesley Fofana played a short ball in midfield to Gusto, whose pass through the lines was wonderfully calibrated. Palmer’s run caught Everton cold, and he breezed through the centre of their defence and smacked the ball by Jordan Pickford at his near post.
‘With Cole we are a better team,’ said Maresca. ‘I really praise the players because we played 16 Premier League games, five without Moises Caicedo, 11 without Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap. No matter who is playing is doing fantastic.
‘We played almost all season without our best player. This is the reason why I’m so happy for the players. I would like people from the outside to appreciate that.’
