The pressure is on to keep a spot in Chelsea’s front line.
Pedro Neto has really come into form, and he can play on both sides. Plus there’s always the suggestion that Cole Palmer could be moved to the right wing to accommodate Enzo Fernandez, or Christopher Nkunku, or Joao Felix in the middle.
That means there’s huge pressure on Noni Madueke to perform consistently on the ring wing to keep his place – and whenever he goes more than a few games without a goal, the pressure ramps up.
In quotes picked up by BetVictor, former Chelsea player Gus Poyet had his say on Madueke, and it was all very positive:
“Noni Madueke will always be a player who has 30-minute spells where he’s incredible, but then he can go quiet in games. He has been starting games very well but sometimes his performance declines throughout the game. That said, he is very direct and he is influential to the way that Chelsea play,” Poyet explained.
“I don’t think there’s anything to worry about with him. He shows confidence and he likes to take defenders on one-on-one, and he creates chances as we saw during the international break. It’s just a matter of him continuing to improve and believing in himself. He must make sure to keep himself humble and down to earth and keep doing what he does best. He can be very influential when he’s at the top of his game.”
Poyet spot on with Madueke analysis
Poyet is spot on. Madueke is the type of player who can certainly frustrate, but his direct style – as well as his defensive work rate – make him a really valuable asset for Enzo Maresca, and we can’t see the coach dropping him anytime soon.
Even if Madueke accepts he can fade later in games, having him go full pelt for 60 minutes and then replacing him with some of our other excellent attacking options is a great strategy for Chelsea.
