He may have scored in their 3-1 win over Wolves on Monday night but one Chelsea player has been ordered to improve by Enzo Maresca – and he wants it to happen “immediately”.
Chelsea ended their five-match winless streak in the Premier League with a 3-1 victory over Wolves, thanks to goals from Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Cucurella, and Noni Madueke.
Wolves briefly leveled the match against the run of play in first-half stoppage time, but Chelsea regained the lead in the 60th minute through Cucurella, who marked his 100th league appearance with a goal following good work from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Madueke.
Just five minutes later, Madueke extended the lead, heading in from close range to make it 3-1. The goal marked his seventh of the season. Madueke played 84 minutes before being replaced by academy player Tyrique George.
However, after the match, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca urged the England international to improve his work rate. “He can improve in the final third, but probably after scoring the goal, he stopped playing,” Maresca said. “This is something we need to address immediately. Never be satisfied with one or two goals, always push for more. After scoring, he stopped a little, and it’s something we must improve.”
Maresca continued, “We always aim to help the players improve. After the goal, maybe he was a bit tired, but that’s the moment when we need to keep pushing.”
This isn’t the first time Enzo Maresca has publicly challenged Noni Madueke. Last month, the Italian manager spoke about the winger’s complacency and work ethic, explaining his decision to drop Madueke for Chelsea’s win over Aston Villa.
“Noni can do much more. He can do much more,” Maresca said. “When he starts scoring or assisting and becomes happy, he tends to drop off a bit. The reason he wasn’t playing is because I didn’t like the way he trained.”
Maresca added, “He needs to understand that he has to train well every day. He needs to be ambitious. He scored one tonight, but he should be aiming for the second and third. He needs to provide more assists.”
Three weeks later, after Madueke was dropped for the game against Fulham, Maresca was once again asked about his absence. Speaking in the post-match press conference, he said, “Noni Madueke was not even on the bench due to a technical decision. No injury. Just a selection.”
After Maresca pointed out flaws in his game, Noni Madueke has expressed a positive outlook on the criticism from his manager. Speaking to Chelsea’s official website in September, he said, “I feel like it’s only a positive. He wants to push me and make sure I get the best out of myself in every single training session.”
Madueke continued, “Top players train to their fullest every single day, so that’s for sure what I strive to be as well.”
