Chelsea's head coach Enzo Maresca stands by his approach of tough love to extract peak performances from his squad, as he justified his outspoken critique of Noni Madueke. The England winger was reinstated in the starting line-up for the emphatic 5-1 victory over Southampton on Wednesday, netting Chelsea's third goal and propelling them to second place in the Premier League standings.
Post-match at St. Mary's, Maresca revealed his dissatisfaction with Madueke's training prior to the previous weekend's clash against Aston Villa, which led to the player being side-lined for the 3-0 win at Stamford Bridge. However, Madueke responded to any lingering doubts with a stellar performance against the Saints, assisting Christopher Nkunku to put Chelsea ahead before dazzling with a superb individual goal, moving in on his left foot and firing into the far corner.
"I said this the other day because I want the best for Noni and, probably, the only way to get the best from him is to push him every time," Maresca explained as he looked forward to Sunday's fixture against Tottenham.
"I try to be, not a friend, but to be close to the players. But sometime even when you want to be friends, between friends when you say something wrong, sometimes he's not happy.
"But he has to know that what you say is because you want to take care of him. The only reason I said this about Noni is because I want the best for him."
Madueke, who joined Chelsea for £28.5million from PSV Eindhoven back in January 2023, has shown considerable progress this season.
With five goals to his name, he's already levelled up his Premier League output from the previous season and has become Maresca's top pick for the right wing, despite stiff competition. He's also made waves on the international scene, earning his first England call-up in August and securing five caps during the Nations League charge under the now-former interim manager Lee Carsley.
Yet, Maresca isn't one to shy away from tough decisions regarding team selection - or speaking his mind publicly. He informed England stars Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell they were not in his plans for the upcoming season, while in October he didn't mince words about captain Reece James - who he felt wasn't living up to the leadership role expected of him.
"The way I like to have relation with the players is to be quite close," Maresca explained. "You can see a little bit at Leicester I had a fantastic relationship with the players. I loved them.
"This is the way I like to have relation with the players. It's the same thing I'm trying to do here.
"The problem is when you say something they don't like, they think you don't want to be close, but that's a way to show them I take care of them.
"It's not for [showing who is boss]. The same thing happened with Reece. When I talked about his leadership, that's because I want the best for him and I want him to improve. Noni is exactly the same."
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Chelsea flag prior the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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