Enzo Maresca insists he is 'absolutely' happy at Chelsea despite failing to elaborate on suffering his 'worst 48 hours' as Blues boss

Enzo Maresca insists he is happy at Chelsea despite declining on Monday to play down rumours of a rift between himself and the club's hierarchy following his 'worst 48 hours' complaints.

At a tetchy press conference before Tuesday night's Carabao Cup quarter-final with Cardiff City, Maresca was asked multiples times to explain who he had accused of not showing him and his players 'support' in the build-up to their Premier League beating of Everton on Saturday.

Rather than provide clarification, Maresca instead refused every chance he had to clear the confusion, appearing annoyed at times as he stood by his previous unprompted statement.

'I already spoke about that and I don't have anything to add,' the Blues boss said. When pressed again for an answer, he replied: 'It's Cardiff tomorrow, please.'

That was the beginning of a to-and-fro between Maresca and the reporters in attendance, with the Chelsea head coach also saying: 'I respect your opinion and I respect people's opinions, but again, I don't have anything to add. We are in an era where everyone can say what they think.

'I respect people's opinions. I respect your opinion. But again, I don't have anything to add. What I said after the Everton game, I already spoke about that, and I don't have anything to add.'

Enzo Maresca refused to elaborate on his 'worst 48 hours' at Chelsea but insists he is happy

Maresca claimed the build-up to the 2-0 win over Everton was the 'worst 48 hours' he had had at the club because 'many people didn't support us'

It was after Chelsea's 2-0 win over Everton that Maresca unexpectedly used his post-match press conference to claim: 'The last 48 hours have been the worst 48 hours since I joined the club because many people didn't support us.' He dropped that line after being asked how well Malo Gusto had played following his goal and assist while inverting into midfield from right back.

More than one source has suggested they believe Maresca was indeed aiming his dig towards his bosses rather than the fans or the media, though it is not yet entirely clear what his exact issue is, or why he chose Saturday's victory to say what he said. Chelsea had failed to beat Atalanta, Bournemouth and Leeds in the week before beating Everton.

'I said after the game that I love the Chelsea supporters,' Maresca added on Monday. 'They deserve the best. Again, I don't have anything to add. It's done, it's finished.'

Asked if he is happy at Chelsea and committed to the club, he answered: 'Absolutely, yes.'

Maresca repeatedly mentioned how by beating Cardiff - the League One side managed by his former Manchester City colleague Brian Barry-Murphy - Chelsea would reach their third semi-final under him in 18 months. That would be an achievement, having previously won the Conference League and Club World Cup with the 45-year-old Italian in charge.

'These are the worst games for this reason,' Maresca said on Chelsea being favourites to beat Cardiff. 'Football is full of these kind of games where the favourite, they can lose and they can drop. That's why we need to pay attention. That's why the focus has to be on Cardiff.'

Chelsea's app, which shows press conferences live, suddenly stopped broadcasting as one reporter asked Maresca whether he had been asked to explain his comments to his bosses, such as co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart. It is understood that was simply a technical issue as the presser was available for watching back in full afterwards as usual.