“Enzo, drop him and Madueke, they are just too wasteful” – This is according to John Mikel Obi as declears that Beside Madueke, Enzo Maresca must consider dropping another struggling Chelsea player who recently posted a disappointing 3/10 performance and achieved only a 50% pass accuracy. This inconsistency hinders Chelsea’s gameplay and raises questions about lineup changes needed for future matches.
Following a challenging defeat to Liverpool, Chelsea managed to bounce back with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Newcastle United, putting them back on track in the league. The win wasn’t a straightforward one, but standout efforts from key players like Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto played an essential role in Chelsea’s securing of all three points. This result left Chelsea in fourth place, just one point behind Arsenal, who are in pursuit of the title.
While most Chelsea players did enough to keep their spots on the squad, a few underperformed, with Noni Madueke being one of the more notable examples.
Reasons to Consider Dropping Noni Madueke
To be fair, Noni Madueke has largely proven himself this season, scoring five goals across ten games and solidifying his role as a regular starter. However, his recent display against Newcastle didn’t match the standard he’s set, especially in terms of both attacking and defensive contributions.
During the 67 minutes he played, Madueke’s expected goals (xG) were a low 0.08, with his expected assists (xA) at 0.18. He missed two out of three crosses, lost the ball ten times, won just two of his eight duels, succeeded in only one of two dribble attempts, and was even dribbled past once, which left teammate Malo Gusto vulnerable defensively. This quiet showing earned him a low 5/10 rating from journalist Lloyd Canfield, who commented that Madueke was “outshone by Pedro Neto.”
While Madueke is likely to remain a key part of Chelsea’s plans this season, his underwhelming performance may indicate he’d be more effective coming off the bench in the upcoming game.
Reasons to Consider Dropping Robert Sanchez
Although Robert Sanchez has shown some improvement overall this season, his performance against Newcastle highlighted some vulnerabilities. He managed to avoid critical errors, but his visible discomfort when handling the ball led to some potentially risky situations for his teammates.
Analysts took note of these struggles, with Canfield rating Sanchez a low 3/10, describing him as a “liability,” while Bobby Vincent of football.london labeled his showing as “poor,” specifically citing his passing accuracy of only 50%. Sanchez misplaced 19 out of 24 long balls, was dribbled past once, and lost his only ground duel. Given these statistics and his ongoing inconsistency, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca might consider giving Filip Jørgensen his Premier League debut against Manchester United on Sunday.
In summary, while Chelsea managed to secure a vital victory, performances from Madueke and Sanchez have raised questions. Their respective struggles could lead to a reshuffle in the squad as Chelsea looks to maintain momentum and stay in contention near the top of the league table.
