Chelsea ended their poor run of form by securing a 2-0 win at home to Everton, recovering from recent setbacks in both domestic and European competitions.
Even with the positive result, Maresca used the moment to voice his frustration over what he felt was insufficient backing. ..Continue Reading
Although he did not name individuals, the Chelsea head coach made it clear that his comments were not aimed at supporters.
‘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.
When questioned on whether this referred to matters inside the club, he responded: ‘In general. In general.’
talkSPORT reported that Maresca’s remarks were not a spontaneous reaction to a difficult week, but rather the culmination of lingering frustration.
Observant fans noticed that Maresca chose not to wear any apparel featuring Chelsea’s badge during the match, though this decision was said to be unrelated to his comments after the game.
Despite his concerns, Maresca was quick to praise his squad for ending a poor sequence that included defeats to Leeds and Atalanta, as well as a disappointing draw away 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.’
The standout moment of the match came from Cole Palmer, who scored his first home goal from open play since January. It has been a challenging season for Palmer, who has endured two serious injuries and struggled to replicate the influence he showed during his first year and a half at the club.
The goal was created when Wesley Fofana played a short pass into midfield to Malo Gusto, whose perfectly weighted ball split the Everton defence.
Palmer timed his run expertly, broke through the middle, and finished confidently past Jordan Pickford at the 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.’
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