Ian Wright thinks Chelsea will have a lot of fun with Noni Madueke. The BBCanalyst saw the former PSV player completely lose his opponent during Bournemouth – Chelsea (1-3), the first victory of the Blues since March 11. According to Wright, Madueke still has to work on his decisiveness in the box.
Madueke received his second starting place in a row against Bournemouth on Saturday from interim manager Frank Lampard. The winter acquisition also enjoyed confidence against Arsenal and rewarded it with the only Chelsea goal in that game (3-1). Madueke also made the difference against Bournemouth, Wright said. “He was very, very good, he gave Matías Viña a lot of trouble. He has the ability to pass a man and if he gets that decisiveness into his game, Chelsea really has something beautiful on his hands,” said the analyst at Match of the Day.
According to Wright, this decisiveness is the biggest problem with Madueke. “That last ball. He keeps it and holds it and he has to learn quickly to make better decisions in those situations.” The same view was also held by Lampard. “Noni is fantastic in the one-on-one, but we want to improve the final product,” said Chelsea’s caretaker after. However, Lampard sees things going well with Madueke. “He has a very nice energy around him. He is hungry and that’s exactly what I’m looking for. He trains well, so he deserves these opportunities.”
Madueke has played eight games for Chelsea since his transfer from PSV – which could add a maximum of 35 million euros. Four times he got a base place and just as often he had to make do with a substitute. He scored his only goal against Arsenal on Tuesday. With his club, maintenance in the Premier League is still the highest achievable for Madueke. They will play against Nottingham Forrest