“It’s all down to the hard work of the players,” he said. “As I’ve said many times, Reece (James) and Maro are both full-backs and today they were both midfielders, so their effort, their open-mindedness, their willingness to learn was fantastic. That’s why I praise the players, because they’ve done extremely well after a complicated week with so many problems.”
“The last 48 hours have been the worst 48 hours since I joined the club because not many people supported us. So I’m very happy for Malo in this moment because the effort of Malo and the rest of the guys shows that they’re all there and want to help this club.”
Asked to explain his comments, the Chelsea manager said: “It’s been the worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn’t support me and the team. In general, in general. I love the fans and we’re very happy with them.”
Maresca’s job got a little easier on Saturday afternoon when Palmer scored his first goal since September 17, giving Chelsea the lead against Everton.
Gust doubled the Blues’ lead just before half-time, capping off the day’s scoring in west London. Coach Maresca was quick to praise his team’s performance throughout the season, especially considering key player Palmer missed most of the season.
“I’ve said many times that we’re a better team with Cole,” Maresca said. “I really admire the players and the team because we played 16 games in the Premier League, five without Moises Caicedo, 11 without Cole Palmer and almost all without Liam Delap. And this team has performed very well no matter who is playing.”
“Today was our fifth game in 12 days, so looking at Cole Palmer over there, I’ve said many times that he’s our best player, but we’ve been playing without our best player almost all season.”
