Enzo Maresca has revealed that he was left unimpressed with one of his Chelsea players in training, leading to him being dropped in the Premier League.
The Italian has set high standards at Stamford Bridge since his arrival and Chelsea have benefitted from this.
Maresca's side sit second in the Premier League table, ahead of Arsenal on goal difference and seven point behind league leaders Liverpool.
It is clear to see the difference in approach Maresca has taken from his predecessor Mauricio Pochettino, whose side finished 6th last season.
With quality in depth, the Blues boss has the opportunity to rotate his side and keep everyone working hard to keep their place in his starting XI.
Speaking after Chelsea's 5-1 win over Southampton on Wednesday, Maresca admitted that he dropped one of the Blues' star performers this season due to a poor display in training.
The Chelsea star scored against Southampton after being dropped when the Blues faced Aston Villa.
The Chelsea star scored against Southampton after being dropped when the Blues faced Aston Villa. / IMAGO / Pro Sports Images
Noni Madueke started and scored against the Saints, cutting onto his left foot before finding the bottom corner, but was dropped from the starting XI to face Aston Villa just days before.
Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho were the preferred options on the wing, with Maresca revealing why he dropped Madueke.
"With Noni, I have personal relation in terms of he can do much more. He can do much more," he began. "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 tonight, he has to go for the second one and 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. Noni has to understand he has to work more because he can be much, much, much better."
With Madueke performing well against Southampton, Maresca has another decision to make when his side travel to face London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Neto is one yellow card away from being suspended, and could be favoured to start on the right ahead of Madueke.
One thing is for sure, Maresca will need all of his squad ready to go if Chelsea are to come out of the winter period in a good position in the Premier League and Conference League going into 2025.