Enzo Maresca said he had his "worst 48 hours" as Chelsea head coach in the lead up to the 2-0 win over Everton in an extraordinary outburst.
Chelsea ended a four-game run without a win in all competitions with victory over the Toffees to move back into the Premier League's top four, but Maresca was clearly unhappy despite a first win since November 22 easing the pressure on him.
In an extraordinary outburst, the Blues boss suggested he felt he and his team hadn't been supported, before refusing to clarify what the issue was and who his words were aimed at.
When asked about Malo Gusto's performance against Everton, Maresca praised his players before venting his frustrations.
"It's the effort from the players", he said in his post-match press conference.
"We said many times that Reece [James] and Malo [Gusto], they are both full-backs and today they were both midfielders. So, the effort, the open mind, the way they want to learn has been fantastic and this is the reason why I praise the players because with so many problems, they are doing very well after a complicated week.
"The last 48 hours have been the worst 48 hours since I joined the club because many people didn't support us. I'm very happy for Malo in that moment, that the effort from Malo and from the rest show that they are all there and they want to help this club."
After being asked to clarify his comments, he repeated: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."
With his comments sparking confusion, reporters continued to ask who he was talking about and whether it was the fans.
"[People] in general. In general." Asked again to clarify whether he meant the fans or the media, Maresca said: "I love the fans and we are very happy with the fans."
How pleased are you with Malo Gusto?
EM: "Yeah, but again, it's the effort from the players. We said many times that Reece and Malo, they are both full-backs and today they were both midfielders. So the effort, the open mind, the way they want to learn has been fantastic and this is the reason why I praise the players because with so many problems, they are doing very well after a complicated week.
"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst 48 hours since I joined the club because many people didn't support us. So I'm very happy for Malo in that moment that the effort from Malo and from the rest show that they are all there and they want to help this club."
What do you mean in terms of not having people supporting you in the last 48 hours?
EM: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."
People in general?
EM: "In general. In general."
Do you mean the fans or the media?
EM: "I love the fans and we are very happy with the fans."
Analysis from Your Site' Oliver Yew at Stamford Bridge:
"The expected questions on Cole Palmer's return and Chelsea's return to winning ways came and went.
"Everything was as you might expect after a pretty routine win for Chelsea - their first in four matches in all competitions.
"That all changed after a question about Malo Gusto's performance, of all things, but things quickly moved away from Gusto, despite his impressive showing against Everton.
"All of a sudden, there were more questions and no answers after Maresca's shock outburst.
"Who was he talking about when talking about a lack of support? Journalists tried to get the answers but Maresca remained coy and cryptic, failing to clarify anything he had said.
"Once Maresca had left, the discussion continued about what he could have meant with no-one quite sure. Everyone was slightly caught off guard, leaving what was a good night for Chelsea clouded in mystery."
Jack Pitt-Brooke - The Athletic
"He volunteered this. This was not in response to a question about, you know, do you feel like you've had a difficult week? And it's amazing, really, that he would choose this moment to say this. No manager would say anything like this unless they were trying to make a very, very particular political point.
"What that point is, I don't know. In the press conference, he was asked, do you mean the fans? And he said, No.
"Chelsea had a little bit of a wobble recently, they hadn't won for a few weeks. They lost to Atalanta in the Champions League last Tuesday. Maybe it was to do with the criticism he got about that or his team selection. But it seems to me like he's trying to make a political point, presumably to do with the club itself."
Sam Dean - The Telegraph
"I think it's very interesting that he's done this. And it does sort of speak, I think, to an element of dissatisfaction behind the scenes, surely, because he said it's not the fans. So if it's not the fans, therefore, it must be the club, either the players in the squad or above him."
Jacqui Oatley
"This is not going to go away quickly. It clearly was calculated and it came after a victory.
"We've all seen post-match press conferences and interviews afterwards and managers explode because of something that's happened, a last-minute own goal, like at the Emirates, for example. It wasn't that. It was something he wanted to get off his chest that he's fuming about and he wants everybody else to know about."
