Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca stands by cryptic outburst about 'worst 48 hours' of his tenure in prickly press conference & insists 'everyone can say what they think'

With Chelsea back to winning ways and Cole Palmer among the goals once again for the West London club, Maresca's rant came as a surprise to everyone sitting in the press room at Stamford Bridge. The 45-year-old did not mince his words, but appeared careful of exactly what it was he was saying, particularly when quizzed on whether he was angry at the Chelsea hierarchy.

He said: "The way the players want to learn has been fantastic and this is the reason why I praise them - because with so many problems, they are doing very well after a complicated week. Since I joined the club the last 48 hours has been the worst 48 hours since I joined the club because many people didn’t support us. So very happy for Malo in that moment that the effort from Malo and the rest showed that they are all there and want to help this club.”

When pressed, he replied: "In general. In general," before clarifying when asked if it was aimed at fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are very happy with the fans."

Maresca entered Monday's press conference ahead of the visit to League One side Cardiff with the same stiff attitude that he had a few days ago. Unsurprisingly, he was once again asked to clarify his comments from the weekend, to which he replied: "I already spoke about that. I don't need to add more things. I start to prepare for the Cardiff game the morning after. So I'm just focused on Cardiff. I said also last week, for me it's always no matter if we win or lose or we are in a good moment or bad moment, it's a fantastic opportunity because you can learn always. I love to learn and I'm very happy with that. Italian, Spanish, French, so you all are aware. It's done, it's finished. It was after the game, I said what I said after the game. Now it's focused on Cardiff. I can speak Italian, my language, Spanish very well, French very well, and English more or less. I think when I want to say something, I'm quite clear. I already spoke after the game, I don't need to add more."

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Having spent over a billion pounds in the last few years, expectations at Chelsea remain as high as ever. A few weeks ago, they were being touted as Premier League challengers, but a few shaky performances have brought the Blues back down to earth. But that has not stopped Maresca from striving to achieve greatness. 

He added: "When you are Chelsea manager, you understand that the expectations are higher. Especially this season, they are more higher than they were a little bit compared to last season. Probably because of the Club World Cup, Conference League, we finished fourth in the Premier League. And as you said, we are the youngest squad in the history of the Premier League. So probably this season, the expectations are a little bit higher. But I think it's something normal when you are a Chelsea player or Chelsea manager."

Chelsea sit eight points off Arsenal at the top of the table, a significant drop from the two they were after drawing with the Gunners at Stamford Bridge. Next up for the London club is the trip to Wales, where Cardiff will be looking to cause a massive upset and book their place in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.