England now have a few days to rest and recover before facing Norway in the World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, and John Terry believes Bukayo Saka will start, possibly in front of Chelsea’s Reece James.
There is hope that James will return from a hamstring injury to face Norway on Saturday, which will come as good news for Thomas Tuchel and England fans after Jarell Quansah was sent off against Mexico.
They’ve both made good starts to the World Cup, but who do you prefer: Noni Madueke or Pedro Neto?
Who's the better player and why? 🤔
Noni Madueke and Pedro Neto
Credit: Katelyn Mulcahy for Rexona/Torbjorn Tande/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images
But debate remains regarding who starts on the right of the attack. Anthony Gordon has established his role on the left, with Harry Kane up front and Jude Bellingham in front of Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson.
Noni Madueke started against Croatia, Ghana and DR Congo, while Saka was handed a start against Panama and then Mexico. Saka has come to the World Cup nursing an injury – so who starts in Miami?
John Terry highlights how much better Saka is than Madueke
Madueke, of course, spent 18 months at Chelsea. During that time, Madueke had a hand in 29 goals in 92 appearances in all competitions before Arsenal decided to spend an initial fee of £48.5m to land him.
The England winger has not really stood out in an Arsenal shirt, despite being given the chance to do so with Saka injured. Madueke has since annoyed Chelsea fans with some comments before the World Cup.
England v Finland - UEFA Nations League 2024/25 League B Group B2
Photo by Eddie Keogh – The FA/The FA via Getty Images
But his performances in an England shirt have not been great. Roy Keane criticised his end product, and Madueke’s display against DR Congo was more proof that Chelsea made the right decision to sell him.
Speaking on Piers Morgan’s Uncensored, John Terry has now highlighted just how much better Saka is than Madueke – underlining Chelsea were right to sell: “The difference in the quality of the cross.
“From him [Saka], to Madueke. You’d actually much rather have him in the team, even if only 85% fit, than Madueke. I do think he is still carrying something; the more games he plays, the fitter he is going to get.”
Do Chelsea have better right wingers now, than Madueke?
Currently, one of Chelsea’s seven untouchables is a right-sided winger in Estevao. The Brazil international remains one of the best teenage talents in world football and next season, he should really kick on.
📊 2025/26 Premier League – Neto, Estevao and Madueke
Statistic Pedro Neto (Chelsea) Estêvão (Chelsea) Noni Madueke (Arsenal)
Matches (Starts) 34 (30) 22 (12) 20 (12)
Minutes Played 2,643 845 1,217
Goals / Assists 5 / 6 2 / 2 3 / 1
Expected Goals (xG) 5.85 2.92 1.80
Chances Created 58 16 16
Big Chances Created 13 4 3
Successful Dribbles 52 29 25
Dribble Success Rate 48.0% 41.4% 47.5%
Pedro Neto is a candidate for a sale this summer, with Chelsea fans growing fed up with the Portugal star. But Neto is capable of being unplayable on his day. The issue is, he seems to be a confidence player.
Geovany Quenda is an exciting talent, and he is already at Cobham in pre-season training. Estevao can easily surpass Madueke, Neto, and Madueke are probably on equal terms, while Quenda is an unknown.
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