Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the preparation to the weekend's triumph against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" he has experienced with the London club.
The 44-year-old delivered a puzzling statement in his post-match media briefing despite securing a 2-0 win at home thanks to strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those three precious points sent Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, potentially lightening the mood following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's winless run to four outings.
Yet, when questioned about the full-back's assist and general performance, Maresca unexpectedly shared his frustration over the preceding two days at the organization.
"The way the lads are eager to improve has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I praise them - because with so many issues, they are performing admirably after a difficult week," he stated.
"From the moment I arrived at the club, the previous 48 hours have been the toughest because several people didn't support us."
When pushed further on his meaning, the ex- Leicester City boss continued: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."
When questioned if he meant people within at Chelsea, he answered: "In general. In general," before clarifying when queried if it was aimed at supporters or the press: "I love the fans and we are very pleased with the fans."
Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and disciplinary problems, noting they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for much of the season, as well as losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of serious injuries.
"I truly praise 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, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he said.
"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are performing exceptionally. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer there, we have said many times that he's our best player but we play the vast majority of the season minus our best player.
"We play five games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would want people externally to appreciate because the commitment from the players is fantastic."
Chelsea's success over Everton cemented their position in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup last-eight tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.
It was not immediately clear who or what prompted Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea head coach.
In that window, the Italian had returned with his staff and players from his native Italy, held a training session at the training ground, attended a pre-match press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a victory over an in-form Everton side.
It was not obvious whether any specific press stories had unsettled him, if social media comments were a factor, or if it was something more significant from within the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to deny that it was an matter involving the club's fans, a section of which have still have yet to fully warm to him since his appointment from Leicester during July 2024.
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