For Chelsea, Noni Madueke has had a challenging season so far. The winger has only made one Premier League start for the Blues, and his lone goal came from the penalty spot in the Carabao Cup matchup with AFC Wimbledon.
Of course, it has become more challenging to get into Mauricio Pochettino’s starting lineup due to the outstanding play of Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling. The addition of Mykhailo Mudryk to the team doesn’t make matters any simpler either.
Even though Madueke has only been given 200 minutes by Chelsea this season, his performance for the England under-21 team has not decreased. Madueke scored three goals and provided an assist in three games against Luxembourg, Serbia, and Ukraine in September and October.
football.london takes a look at how Madueke got on against Serbia for England’s under-21s on Saturday evening.
15 to 20 minutes
began the game high on the right wing, happy to help the Three Lions hold onto the ball by passing it to Harvey Elliott. Later, he displayed excellent close control in the build-up to James McAtee’s opening goal for England, cutting inside to try and find space against a Serbian team that was positioned deep.
Madueke and Tino Livramento initially seemed to be getting used to each other’s positioning as they both preferred to stay wide, but in the tenth minute, the former passed the ball to a teammate before cutting inside.
After he collected the ball, Chelsea’s winger was pleased to bring it inside. However, he was unlucky to see Liam Delap miss a dangerous left-footed cross with his head. Soon after, Madueke attracted the attention of three players as he dribbled down the right but was cut off, displaying various sides to his threat. As the quarter-hour mark approached, he did manage to isolate his opponent, but he was unable to make a clean connection with his cross in order to capitalize.
15–30
The former PSV player offered a similar threat in the following half, but his first delivery of the half left fans disappointed. Nevertheless, he later recovered from a subpar first touch to earn space out wide and provide a better cross. Additionally, he gave Jaden Philogene his wings for the first time.
30 to 45
As the Three Lions searched for space, Madueke established himself as an outlet for England, and it appeared that there was a plan for the former Spurs youth product to cut back on his left foot in order to cross. Madueke’s threat at the end of the half was further demonstrated by his drive into the right side of the box and subsequent pullback for Livramento, who was unable to finish.
45–60
Early in the second period, he displayed his defensive prowess once more by sprinting back to cover Mitrovic. He also quickly discovered that he was collecting the ball from deeper positions more frequently. Madueke advanced up the field into the opposing half following a perfectly timed interception before dropping the ball off.
His awareness was further demonstrated when he flicked backwards a high and looping crossfield pass to find Livramento on the wing. He then cut inside and skillfully sidestepped the Serbian defense to pick up a slot, setting up Harvey Elliott for a close finish to give England a 3-0 lead.
61–75
With the score tied at this point, Madueke’s self-assurance grew as he broadened his turn repertoire, making Mitrovic’s game difficult.
77-90.
A flurry of substitutions caused England to suffer a slight disconnect during this period, and Madueke’s teammates struggled to find him in the final third as he tried to make some cutting runs. When he did manage to find space, he collected the ball and swiftly picked up the pace of play. He received the ball in a deep position in the 87th minute, drove through the middle of the pitch, and then found Jay Stansfield with a nice pass after some skillful movement.
Madueke made an attempt to cut inside for a strike as stoppage time drew near.
In summary
Even though Madueke had not played much competitive football in the previous month, he still managed to provide a lot of consistency down the right flank with his performance. His willingness to create and his work ethic on both sides of the ball will be viewed as positives, but probably not enough for Pochettino to remove someone from his starting lineup just yet.
While there were encouraging signs of what Madueke could bring to the table against a deep defense, there aren’t many significant takeaways due to the caliber of the opposition. Nonetheless, the 21-year-old received some crucial minutes to boost his match fitness and guarantee he could have an impact on the outcome. Madueke will be given a chance.
