
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has confirmed that winger Noni Madueke is in contention for the trip to Ipswich Town, despite being dropped from the squad for the Boxing Day derby defeat to Fulham.
Madueke’s absence raised eyebrows, especially as Maresca chose to include two goalkeepers on the bench instead. Explaining the decision, the Italian boss stated:
“Sometimes we just take a decision and it’s no more than that. Is he in contention for Ipswich? Yeah, for sure.”
This isn’t the first time the 22-year-old England international has been omitted under Maresca. He was also left out against Aston Villa earlier in December after reportedly not meeting the manager’s expectations in training.
Maresca emphasized that the decision to drop Madueke was purely technical and not personal:
“The competition has to be higher, but not only for Noni Madueke. Also Renato Veiga was not in the squad, and the reason is exactly the same for both of them. There is not any different reason; it’s just a technical decision.”
After being left out against Villa, Madueke responded in style by scoring in a 5-1 victory over Southampton just three days later.
Maresca expects a similar reaction this time:
“Very good, fantastic, and he responded very good at that time, so there is no more than that.
“I expect the same this time, yeah, absolutely.”