Chelsea: Enzo Maresca explains surprise decision to leave Noni Madueke out of squad for Fulham loss
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Noni Madueke was dropped for Chelsea’s Boxing Day defeat to Fulham in what manager Enzo Maresca called a “technical decision”. The Blues were stunned by Fulham’s late fightback as goals from substitutes Harry Wilson and Rodrigo Muniz saw the Cottagers come from behind to secure their first win at Stamford Bridge since 1979.
Madueke was a surprising absentee from a matchday squad, having featured off the bench in the goalless draw at Everton last Sunday. No injury had been reported in the build-up to the game and Maresca confirmed afterwards that the winger is fit. Asked to explain the situation, the Italian tactician - who named two goalkeepers among his substitutes - replied only: “Technical decision”.
It is not the first time Maresca has issued a public rebuke of the young forward. Earlier this month, Madueke was dropped to the bench for the win over Aston Villa because of his poor training ground performances. “In the moment that he starts to score or assist and is happy, he starts to drop a little bit,” Maresca explained at the time.
“The reason he was not playing [against Aston Villa] is because I don’t like the way he trained. He has to understand that he has to train every day good, he has to be ambitious.”. Meanwhile, Maresca bemoaned his side’s poor game management, after Fulham scored twice in the final ten minutes to inflict only the Blues’ third league defeat of the campaign.
