Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has issued a blunt challenge to Noni Madueke, urging the winger to raise his training standards and show more consistency in his performances following the Blues’ impressive 5-1 victory over Southampton on Wednesday.
Madueke, who had been dropped to the bench in Chelsea’s previous match against Aston Villa, marked his return to the starting lineup with a goal and an assist. However, Maresca was quick to remind the 21-year-old that this type of performance must be replicated with greater effort in training and a more relentless attitude on the pitch.
“He can do much more,” Maresca said when asked about Madueke’s impact. “When he scores or gets an assist and is happy, he tends to drop his intensity. The reason he wasn’t playing recently is because I didn’t like the way he was training.”
Maresca emphasized that Madueke must be more ambitious, not just in matches, but in training every day: “He has to understand that he must train well every day. He has to be ambitious. He scored once tonight, but he needs to go for the second, the third, and more assists. He can be much, much better.”
The Chelsea manager also pointed out the competition for places in the squad, with Pedro Neto performing well and pushing Madueke for a starting spot: “Noni can’t afford to drop his level because Pedro is there, doing fantastic. If Pedro drops, Noni is there. They both need to understand that if we want to achieve something important, we need them at their best.”
Despite Maresca’s firm words, Madueke expressed his gratitude for the manager’s support and guidance, crediting Maresca for helping him develop as a player. “He’s given me a lot of trust, a lot of faith in me, playing me pretty much all of the games,” Madueke told Amazon Prime. “He’s helping me with my goalscoring and all aspects of trying to become a top wide player. All credit to him and my teammates for the great win.”
The victory over Southampton helped Chelsea move up to second in the Premier League, leapfrogging Arsenal, and reducing the gap to leaders Liverpool to just seven points after the Reds’ 3-3 draw with Newcastle United. With Madueke’s performance and Maresca’s guidance, Chelsea are looking to push forward and continue their charge toward the top of the table.
