“I can’t LOSE my job because of you”- Mauricio Pochettino has just withdrawn Chelsea ‘FLOP’ star from first-team training this morning because Pochettino does not want to risk losing his job- He will train alone until after the Newcastle game in Stamford Bridge
Mauricio Pochettino has been told that he could begin to have a loan problem brewing within his Chelsea squad ahead of their return to Premier League football this weekend.
The Blues are preparing to host joint-league leaders Arsenal, who are unbeaten domestically so far this season, but will come into the game full of confidence with three-straight wins on the bounce under Pochettino. One player who will no doubt be full of confidence is Noni Madueke, with the Chelsea winger putting his skills on full display over the international break.
The 21-year-old netted twice in England Under-21’s 9-1 win over Serbia last week, before finding his third of the break with another against Ukraine last night in a 3-2 defeat. The winger broke into the box before cutting in and curling an effort across goalkeeper Ruslan Neshcheret to get his country back into the tie, one they’d unfortunately lose deep into added time.
Nonetheless, he understands his performances during the international break will no doubt bring a lot of attention to him back at Cobham, where the youngster has often fell short of the desired minutes he’d want. However, he claims that he’s bettering his game not only on the training pitch but also off it.
“I look at the best,” he admitted (via the Evening Standard ). “James Ryder, our analyst, clipped up [Kylian] Mbappe and Salah, so I watch them a lot. The way they always follow their pass into the box, or when a team-mate is in the box, they’re always there to anticipate.
“One thing I’ve got to add to my game is the easier goals, the one-touch goals – that’s what I’m trying to improve. I know I go at such a pace so sometimes I’ve got to calm down at the last moment, take a breath and then slot it away. I’ve just got to keep working so I can do it when I get back to Chelsea.”
Madueke has been handed just 46 minutes of Premier League action this season, with two cameo appearances off the bench on top of an 80-minute appearance against AFC Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup second round, where he scored a second-half spot kick to bring the Blues level. Unfortunately for the player, any game time he’s been missing hasn’t truly been of his own doing.
Raheem Sterling has taken to Pochettino’s coaching like a duck to water, finally looking like the brilliant player Blues fans knew they’d be getting when he arrived last summer. Cole Palmer is another new addition that looks to be a shoo-in any time he’s fit for Chelsea, and Mykhailo Mudryk appears to be a project that the Chelsea boss is giddy to try and work on.
It means that despite some impressive showings going forward in the opportunities he has been given, there are just those in front of him that are outperforming him. Former Chelsea midfielder Boudewijn ‘Bolo’ Zenden believes that the winger needs to be trusted by Pochettino soon otherwise there’s a chance he could become frustrated or simply loaned out as surplus to his squad requirements.
“I have seen him progress from the youth team to the first team at PSV,” Zenden told Dutch outlet Soccernews. “He has developed tremendously, but I have my doubts about the move.
“Wasn’t it too fast? Noni had some good matches at PSV but was not an undisputed starter. He hasn’t had a season in which he played 32 games. Just when he was doing well, he got injured and had setbacks.
These are phases that a player must go through before becoming established. He’s certainly not an established player yet, but he’s one with a lot of potential.
“I understand why Chelsea bought him, especially since he’s a homegrown player. However, he’ll need to play more minutes to further develop. If that doesn’t happen at Chelsea, I could see him being loaned out.
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