Jason Cundy is really impressed by what he’s seen from one Chelsea player recently, which has led to an interesting comparison with Arsenal star Bukayo Saka.
There are a number of individuals in the Chelsea side right now in great form. It’s no coincidence that they are on a four-game winning streak across all competitions.
For Blues manager Enzo Maresca, he’s desperate for a strong end to the season from his team because they’re still fighting for Champions League qualification and the Conference League trophy.
If the Blues can continue this momentum, it could still turn out to be a positive debut season for Maresca.
It’s been suggested that Enzo Maresca is instructing Chelsea to be more direct in recent games, something that supporters will always enjoy.
Jason Cundy makes comparison between Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka
Jason Cundy, the former Blues player, admits he’s really impressed by some of the recent performances from Chelsea attacker Noni Madueke.
The 23-year-old winger carries a serious threat going forward right now. In particular, we’ve seen him impress on the left wing in the previous two Premier League matches despite playing the bulk of his career so far as a right-winger, which allows him to cut infield on his strongest left foot.
According to Cundy, Madueke is beginning to emulate Arsenal and England right-winger Bukayo Saka, explaining that he’s mirroring his ability to threaten both ways in 1v1 situations.
He told talkSPORT: “Noni has been excellent out there [on the left wing]. The thing I love about Noni is whenever he picks the ball up, he looks that way [forward]. His first instinct with his first touch, ‘How can I get beyond you? How can I get in behind you?’ What I noticed he did against Liverpool, and he does this very well on the right-hand side, but he will come inside on his right. Most left-footers out there tend not to. Left-footers love it on the right…
“When you’ve got a winger that can go both ways and threaten, as a full-back now you’re asking questions. He does that; Saka’s one of the best, goes out on the right and comes inside. You need to threaten both [ways]. Noni has been really good, really impressive.”
Like Cundy mentions, even though Saka is stronger on his left foot, it doesn’t prevent the Arsenal forward from beating the opposition full-back in different ways. The 23-year-old star will sometimes cut infield and unleash a shot, while other times he’ll go around the outside.
It’s encouraging for Chelsea fans to see that Madueke is also not a one-trick pony because he doesn’t just rely on his left foot.
Noni Madueke doesn’t enjoy playing on the left wing and would prefer to operate on the right flank, but it’s opened up a new side to his game with eye-catching displays against Liverpool and Everton.
Noni Madueke vs Bukayo Saka
At the moment, Arsenal’s Saka is the standout English winger. His club form has led to 43 senior international caps, too.
As for Madueke, he’s got five England caps to his name. He should be measuring himself against the brilliance of Saka for a reminder of the level he needs to reach.
| Player | Club | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Noni Madueke | Chelsea | 37 | 11 | 5 |
| Bukayo Saka | Arsenal | 34 | 12 | 14 |
Peter Crouch claims Noni Madueke can look “unplayable” when he’s in the right mood, and we do feel he’s got all the individual attributes to go right to the very top.
The Chelsea winger still needs to find the consistency in his game that all of the world’s top-class attackers have, including Saka.
