Why Noni Madueke is the key for Chelsea’s Champions League aspirations | OneFootball

With just three Premier League games to go, Chelsea are at the business end of the season where all will be decided.

The top five will secure qualification to next season’s Champions League, with four more spots up for grabs after Liverpool’s Premier League title win.

Enzo Maresca’s side have won each of their past three league games, leaving the Blues fifth in the Premier League. With just three games left to play, only seven points separate second-placed Arsenal and Aston Villa in seventh.

Each and every point is important for this final push at the back end of this campaign and the Blues look to be finding momentum at the perfect time. This has has coincided with the return of an important Chelsea star in a brand new role.

This is, of course, referring to Noni Madueke, who went down with a hamstring injury after 21 minutes in their 3-0 league defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion in February. The injury kept Madueke out for around six weeks, missing four Premier League games, with Chelsea losing two of those.

Since Madueke’s return against Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea haven’t lost a game in the league, winning four times and drawing twice. In fact, the Italian manager has even found a new role for him, where the 23-year-old winger has started in his last two Premier League matches to devastating effect.

Madueke is often deployed off the right, looking to cut inside on his stronger left foot and get shots off. This has seen the English winger become the highest shot volume player in the entire Premier League, taking 3.8 shots per 90 minutes — more than any other player with 20+ starts.

For context, Chelsea’s superstar Cole Palmer is averaging 3.69 shots per 90, often looking to force the issue for his side and be the difference maker. This is even more important when you take into account the Blues’ issues when breaking down low block defensive units this season, struggling to generate efficient box touches and shots from inside the box.

Chelsea find themselves fourth in the Premier League for touches in the penalty area, averaging 30.5 per 90. The three teams above them are Arsenal (33.9), Liverpool (34.5) and Manchester City (34.7).

Both Arsenal and Man City have plenty of physicality to aim for in the box with crosses and Liverpool have a relentless pressure that tends to overwhelm opposition defensive schemes to generate their box touches. But Chelsea lack a significant box presence, making it much easier for opposition teams to be compact and limit the Blues.

This means Maresca’s side have to generate their box touches and chances in different ways, which leads us on to why Noni Madueke is so key to this current Chelsea side.

When Chelsea lost 1-0 to Arsenal at the Emirates in March, there was a clear lack of touches in and around the penalty area. The most populated spots were around the top of the box, with Chelsea struggling to penetrate the opposition block.

The wing pairing for this day was Jadon Sancho and Christopher Nkunku with Pedro Neto as the striker. But this pattern lacked the penetrative edge needed to break through the block into the penalty area, with many of these players being similar profiles, preferring the ball to their feet and looking to probe via their passing/crossing abilities.

Madueke on the other hand, is far more direct, looking to attack the box in a different manner, not through clever and intricate passes, but through his ability to carry the ball.

The 23-year-old is averaging 4.2 carries into the penalty area per 90 which is the highest of any player in the Premier League with 20+ starts this season. Madueke also averages the second-highest touches in the penalty area with 8.5 per 90, with only Mo Salah averaging more at 9.5.

Madueke’s determined nature to drive through the heart of an opposition team, find his way into the box and create dangerous opportunities is absolutely key for Maresca’s Chelsea side, especially while they lack a significant box threat at centre-forward.

Maresca’s tweak to put him on the left is working nicely, allowing Pedro Neto to play in his preferred position on the right, whilst still affording Madueke the same license to get on the ball and drive at defenders, finding his way into the box, which is clearly shown by the team heatmap against Liverpool, which in comparison to Arsenal, shows a lot more activity inside the box.

On the left, Madueke can drive on the outside of the opposition defensive unit, using his strong foot to drive towards the byline and deliver a cross. Or he can use his strength, a massively underrated factor of his when carrying the ball, driving at the defenders hip to initiate contact, set them off balance and wriggle his way into the box.

The 23-year-old is having a superb season, making 37 appearances in all competitions, scoring 11 goals and providing five assists so far. And if the Blues are to qualify for Champions League football, he will likely play a key part in that.