The frustrating habit Enzo Maresca wants Chelsea winger Noni Madueke to break

Noni Madueke was back among the goals as Chelsea crushed Southampton 5-1 on Wednesday, but can he use his latest strike to spark a consistent run?

That’s the demand from manager Enzo Maresca, who has accused the forward of dropping his levels when he is ‘happy’.

“He can do much more,” Maresca said following the Southampton win. “He can do much more. 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.

“Noni is not allowed to drop because Pedro [Neto] is there and doing fantastic. If Pedro drops then Noni is there. The same thing on the other side. This is what they have to understand if we want to be there or be close for something important.”

Maresca’s words are not without substance. Indeed, Madueke has registered 11 goals and four assists in 48 Premier League appearances for Chelsea to date. However, he’s never registered goal contributions in more than two consecutive league matches.

Madueke’s best efforts so far have been back-to-back goals against Crystal Palace and Luton last season, while his goal against Southampton during the week came after an assist against Aston Villa the game prior.

The England international scored a memorable hat-trick against Wolves in his first Premier League outing this season, but then went four without a goal. His goal and assist in his last two matches have come following a five-game contribution drought.

Nevertheless, Maresca’s words are brutally honest in the public sphere. So, how does Madueke feel about the criticism?

Thankfully, the former PSV winger is humble enough to see the sense in his manager’s words, trusting Maresca to level up his game.

“He is honest and truthful,” Madueke said of Maresca. “He tells the truth and he is a man you can trust. That’s all you want from a coach.

“He is not necessarily a coach that is trying to be best friends with everyone, but he is a coach that is straight with everyone and fair to everyone. That’s what you need at a top club like Chelsea.”

Up next for Chelsea is a trip to London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who are about as inconsistent as Madueke himself this season. The Lilywhites have won just one of their last six across all competitions, conceding nine goals during that time and keeping just one clean sheet.

Can Madueke capitalise on the Lilywhites’ frailties to achieve new levels of Premier League form for a Chelsea side very much threatening to challenge for the title?