Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca must get ruthless with Blues ace who disrespected him vs Arsenal

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca declared himself pleased after watching his side fight back from behind to secure a 1-1 draw with Arsenal, but a growing issue with Noni Madueke may need resolving during the international break.

After a difficult afternoon on the right flank, the winger displayed his frustration when he was substituted by Maresca on Sunday. The 22-year-old snubbed the chance to sit behind the dugout and stormed down the tunnel in a move that would have surely angered his manager.

Despite that, Maresca refused to criticise him in his post-match press conference: “The problem is that when you change a player, they’re never happy. We changed him,” he said.

“It’s not only about Noni, it’s about all the players. In that moment, we thought in a different way that Pedro [Neto] with [Jurrien] Timber would be more aggressive.”

The £30million man hit a hat-trick in the 6-2 win over Wolves and looked in sensational form, earning himself a well-deserved England call-up from Three Lions’ interim boss Lee Carsley. But after bagging four goals in five games, he’s gone off the boil and failed to register a goal or assist in his last five appearances.

Madueke didn’t look likely to change that against Arsenal, where he was wasteful in the final third and his team-mates’ reaction to his audacious efforts from long range were telling. And for the Arsenal goal, his refusal to track back left Malo Gusto exposed with two markers at the far post, which led to Gabriel Martinelli opening the scoring.

It was no surprise when Madueke’s number appeared on the fourth official’s board with 68 minutes gone. It’s not yet clear whether the England international was injured or if it was merely a tactical decision from Maresca. But there didn’t appear to be anything wrong with him when he trudged off.

The Blues boss was well within his rights to shuffle his pack in an attempt to change the game, with Chelsea trailing 1-0 at that point, and Madueke’s show of petulance won’t improve his manager’s opinion of him.

It’s not the first time he has displayed his immature side after arguing with Nicolas Jackson when trying to take a penalty last season, which Cole Palmer eventually converted. Maresca’s job will be to ensure it doesn’t become a habit.

Maresca was vindicated in his decision too, as one of his substitutes, Enzo Fernandez, set up the goal for Pedro Neto just two minutes after coming on. Madueke’s replacement Mykhaylo Mudryk also created some decent opportunities shortly after being summoned from the bench.

The main issue of concern now is whether to drop Madueke for the next game against Leicester City after the international break on November 23. There is fierce competition for places at Stamford Bridge, with Mudryk, Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku on the fringes of the first-team at present.

Such a display of disrespect cannot be tolerated without it being addressed and Maresca’s brutally honest approach means he’s unlikely to mince his words if he speaks with Madueke privately.

The Chelsea boss has already ousted players he didn’t want at the club. If Madueke doesn’t improve his attitude, he could soon end up like outcast Ben Chilwell looking in from the outside.