Noni Madueke enjoyed a stellar start to the 2024-25 season, being thrusted into Enzo Maresca’s first choice team and making the right wing spot his own across the first 12 games of the Premier League season. However, his performance level has dipped in recent games, and questions are being asked about whether he still warrants an almost ‘guaranteed’ starting spot as we enter the busy winter period.
Silencing Wolverhampton
Madueke’s highlight of the season had undoubtedly been his excellent hattrick away at Wolves. The 22-year-old lead Chelsea to an emphatic 6-2 win at Molyneux, and this win really kick-started Chelsea’s season after an indifferent start – providing Maresca with his first win.
The hattrick immediately repaid Maresca’s faith in Madueke, who had flattered to deceive throughout his Chelsea career prior to this performance. However, the Barnet-born winger has cemented his spot in Chelsea’s team since then, appearing in 11 out of 12 Premier League games, contributing four goals with no assists. His hattrick was a key moment in Chelsea’s season so far, and was largely seen as the performance which helped implement Maresca’s philosophy into this young team, and gave Blues fans a glimpse of what this team can do moving forward.
Inconsistency, Competition and Rotation
Since that superb day in the Midlands, however, Madueke’s performance level has dipped, and many Blues are beginning to question Maresca’s loyalty to him. Firstly, contributing zero assists as a winger, when considering the number of minutes Madueke has clocked up, indicates that something is missing from his all-round game. Madueke is not creating the opportunities to provide for his team mates, and is instead often found shooting from outside the box – averaging 3.1 shots per game, as per WhoScored.
Whilst a willingness to shoot on goal is something that has been missing from Chelsea’s team in recent years, Madueke needs to improve his team awareness and instead prioritise and choose the opportunities to shoot, but also the right opportunities to find that key pass to set up a team member.
Aside from individual performances, the form of Madueke’s competitors is making his starting role in the starting lineup harder and harder to justify. Pedro Neto, Jadon Sancho and Mykhailo Mudryk are all vying for a starting spot on the right wing, with the number 10 role permanently occupied by the outstanding Cole Palmer. All have enjoyed good moments this season but suffer from consistency issues too. Should any of the wingers begin to pick up real momentum, Madueke may find himself on the bench sooner rather than later.
Key Months Ahead
Madueke has likely done enough to maintain his spot in the starting line up for now, especially with Sancho’s recent injury and illness issues. However, after Neto’s starring role in the recent 1-1 draw with Arsenal, and the games coming thick and fast over the festive period, Madueke will have to improve at both ends of the pitch in order to maintain Maresca’s trust, and not be relegated to his ‘B team’.
