Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca sets Noni Madueke a challenge to reach greater heights

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca believes Noni Madueke has significant room for development and must “work more” in order to realise his potential.

Winger Madueke played a key role in Wednesday’s 5-1 demolition of bottom club Southampton, scoring his side’s third goal after setting up the second for Christopher Nkunku.

The England international, who began the Premier League season with a hat-trick in a 6-2 win at Wolves, also failed to capitalise on a number of further opportunities at St Mary’s.

Chelsea climbed to second in the table – above Arsenal on goal difference – by stretching their unbeaten run to six top-flight games, seven points behind leaders Liverpool.

“With Noni, he can do much more,” said head coach Maresca.

“In the moment he starts to score or assist and is happy, he starts to drop a little bit and the reason why he was not playing is because I do not like the way he trained.

“He has to understand that he has to train every day good. He has to be ambitious. He scored one (on Wednesday), he has to go for the second one, for the third one. He has to give more assists.

“But overall, he is doing great, he is doing fantastic. He is doing even better in terms of numbers, assists and goals.

“Noni has to understand he has to work more because he can be much, much, much better.”

A third of Madueke’s 48 league appearances since his arrival from PSV Eindhoven in January 2023 have come from the bench.

The 22-year-old has started 12 of Chelsea’s 14 league matches this season, contributing five goals and two assists, but faces fierce competition from Pedro Neto.

“There are players in behind that are ready,” said Maresca. “We have four wingers that are all very good.

“Pedro and Noni for the right side, Jadon (Sancho) and Misha (Mykhailo Mudryk) for the left side and in the moment one of them drops for whatever reason, there is one in behind that is ready.

“Noni is not allowed to drop because Pedro is there and doing fantastic. If Pedro drops then Noni is there.

“This is what they have to understand if we want to be there or be close for something important.”

Axel Disasi and Cole Palmer were also target for Chelsea before substitute Sancho sealed a thumping south-coast success with his first goal for the club.

Southampton began brightly and briefly levelled through Joe Aribo but contributed to their own downfall with a string of errors, including captain Jack Stephens being sent off in the 39th minute for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair.

Saints’ 11th loss of a dismal season left them seven points from safety and followed being denied victory at Brighton by a controversial offside decision.

Manager Russell Martin, who was without Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Flynn Downes and Tyler Dibling due to suspension, in addition to some injury absences, said: “I don’t like being unlucky or lucky.

“I think we’ve been unfortunate with some recent calls and stuff like that.

“Subjectively and objectively we should have more points on the board, so that’s been really frustrating. But we have to just keep working and keep using the frustration.

“We have to be realistic and put it in perspective. We played against one of the best teams in the country at the moment, with some top attacking talent, with 10 men for an hour.

“But they (the club’s owners) see a team that is absolutely together and fighting so hard.”