Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca remarked that the preparation to Saturday's triumph against Everton constituted "the worst 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.
The Italian offered a somewhat cryptic statement in his after-game media briefing even after earning a 2-0 win at home courtesy of goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those crucial points lifted Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, potentially lightening the mood following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's drought without a win to consecutive fixtures.
But, when questioned about the full-back's contribution and overall display, Maresca surprisingly shared his frustration over the preceding two days within the club.
"How the lads want to develop has been superb and this is the reason why I commend them - because with so many issues, they are doing very well after a tricky week," he said.
"Since I joined the club, the previous 48 hours have been the worst because several people didn't support us."
Pressed on his meaning, the former Leicester City manager added: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."
When asked if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he replied: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before clarifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the press: "I adore the fans and we are very content with the fans."
Fitness & Suspension Woes
Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's ongoing injury and suspension problems, remarking they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, in addition to being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to two serious injuries.
"I truly praise the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he said.
"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are performing fantastic. Today was 5 games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer playing, we said many times that he's our best player but we play almost all season without our top player.
"We play 5 games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to acknowledge because the work from the players is fantastic."
Chelsea's triumph over Everton consolidated their position in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup last-eight clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled next week.
Uncertainty Over Maresca's Comments
It was ambiguous what exactly prompted Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the worst of his spell as Chelsea head coach.
In that window, the Italian had returned with his staff and players from Bergamo, conducted a training session at the training ground, faced a pre-game news conference where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a victory over an in-form Everton team.
It was hard to discern whether any specific media reports had unsettled him, if online comments played a role, or if it was something deeper from within the club at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca specifically took care to deny that it was an issue related to the club's fans, a section of which have not yet fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester in July last year.
