John Obi Mikel has torn into one Chelsea star following his performance at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Monday night.
Chelsea took on Los Angeles FC in the Club World Cup, winning the game 2-0 after goals from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez.
Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer pleased Mikel with their displays, but the former midfielder was not happy with one of their teammates.
Next up for Chelsea in the competition is a tie against Brazilian side Flamengo, which will take place on Friday.
John Obi Mikel slams Noni Madueke’s performance against Los Angeles FC
Neto had a good game for Chelsea after netting at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but Noni Madueke could not make the same kind of impact as his teammate on the opposite flank.
Not impressed with what he saw in the first half, Mikel gave a damning assessment of the 23-year-old during the break.
Speaking on DAZN, whose coverage of the Club World Cup was broadcasted by Channel 5 (16/06/2025 at 20:55), the Chelsea legend said: “That’s what I said before the game. We need more from Neto and Madueke. Madueke as well, I’ve been kind of frustrated with him in this first half.
“He’s had the ball, he hasn’t gone past his man. I think the final pass has been a little bit… he needs to clean that up in his game. I think if he does that, he’ll be a fantastic player. But he doesn’t go past his man, he doesn’t create enough. I need to see him do more.”
Before the tournament started, Madueke was being linked with a move to Napoli. It had even been claimed that Napoli’s sporting director Giovanni Manna had flown into London to start laying the groundwork over a potential deal.
However, with Chelsea lacking wingers at the moment, Enzo Maresca will not want the club to even think about a sale.
Noni Madueke’s stats against Los Angeles FC
As Mikel highlighted, Madueke did struggle to beat his man on Monday, though LAFC did make things difficult with how compact they were at times.
Nevertheless, the England international was only able to complete one dribble out of the three he attempted. He also missed one big chance.
| Noni Madueke vs LAFC | Total |
| Minutes | 64 |
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Big chances missed | 1 |
| Dribble attempts (successful) | 3 (1) |
| Crosses (accurate) | 3 (1) |
| Possession lost | 11 |
Ultimately, it was not Madueke’s best game, but Maresca needs him right now. Again, with Chelsea opting against signing Jadon Sancho permanently, Maresca is not blessed with wide options at this moment in time.
With a long way to go before the transfer window closes, though, there is still time to correct that.
