Sport
Noni Madueke was both the hero and the villain at Molineux on Sunday. Criticised for posting a less than glowing review of Wolverhampton before the match, Wolves supporters relentless booed the Chelsea winger. Madueke responded by scoring the first Premier League hat trick of his career in a thrilling 6-2 victory for the Blues.
In Chelsea’s bloated squad, Madueke’s performance was notable. It saw the 22-year-old plant his flag in the ground at a time when the ground is still shifting at Stamford Bridge. Enzo Maresca is still getting to grips with his squad and Madueke has now made an extremely strong case to be a part of his future plans.
Only last week it was reported that Chelsea were considering selling Madueke with Newcastle United believed to be interested. Tottenham Hotspur have also been linked in the past. The Blues simply have too many players and the former PSV Eindhoven winger was earmarked as someone who could be moved on to cut down the numbers in the dressing room.
Now, though, it’s clear Chelsea must keep Madueke. He won’t score a hat trick every week like he did against Wolves on Sunday, but the 22-year-old gives Maresca’s team balance on the right side. At a time when Chelsea need players to give them consistency in their structure, Madueke is someone who fulfils a clear need in their team. He gives them something they lacked.
Not only does Madueke give Chelsea a threat on the right wing, his presence out wide helps to get the best out of Cole Palmer. Against Manchester City on opening weekend, Palmer was isolated on the wing. Chelsea simply couldn’t get him the ball regularly enough for him to have am influence on the match.
With Madueke on the right against Wolves, though, Palmer was able to get in between the lines. The pair linked up constantly throughout the match with Palmer assisting all three of Madueke’s goal. They were on the same wavelength in a way that surely has Maresca intent on deploying the same partnership against Crystal Palace this weekend.
“Since day one I said he’s the kind of winger I really like,” said Maresca when asked about Madueke’s performance against Wolves. “He is working very good with us, but the best thing today from Noni was not the hat-trick, it was the way he defended for 90 minutes the counter-attacks. That showed the right mentality I am asking from the players.”
At the back, Chelsea were vulnerable to Wolves’ counter attacks. The central midfield pairing of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez also struggled to control possession in the way Maresca surely wants from his players in that area of the pitch. Even in victory, Chelsea were erratic for much of the match at Molineux. There was a period in which it could have swung either way.
And yet there was enough in their attacking performance against Wolves to suggest this season could still be a success after the chaos of the summer transfer window. If Maresca can settle on a consistent starting lineup, Chelsea could be one of the most dangerous teams in the Premier League.
The challenge for Chelsea between now and the end of the window will be to know who to keep and who to get rid of. Raheem Sterling has been exiled from the first team and is expected to depart the club this week. Axel Disasi and Ben Chilwell have also been reportedly touted to a number of potential suitors. After his exerts against Wolves, though, Madueke should find himself staying put.
