Chelsea: Enzo Maresca lays down new challenge to Noni Madueke | OneFootball

Maresca explains what more he wants to see from ’one of Chelsea’s best players’

Enzo Maresca believes Noni Madueke is “one of Chelsea’s best players” but has challenged the winger to prove it on a regular basis.

More recently, though, he has been publicly criticised by Maresca over his attitude in training and twice dropped from the Chelsea side.

He was left out of the XI against Aston Villa last month and then axed from the match day squad entirely for the Boxing Day defeat to Fulham.

Maresca has publicly criticised Madueke over his attitude in training and twice dropped him from the Chelsea side

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“The reason he was not playing is because I don’t like the way he trained,” Maresca said of the Villa omission at the time. “In the moment that he starts to score or assist and is happy, he starts to drop a little bit.”

Madueke missed Saturday’s 5-0 FA Cup win over Morecambe through illness but is back in contention to face Bournemouth on Tuesday, with Maresca hoping he will kick on in the second half of the season.

“I consider Noni one of our best players to be honest,” he said. “But because of that we want our best players to behave in the right way always. Not to switch off, not [to have] some days where they can drop. No.

“[We know] that during a season it's normal that for some players they are not 100 per cent. But it's not just about Noni, it's about all the players.”