Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca clarified that Noni Madueke missed Saturday’s 5-0 FA Cup victory over Morecambe due to illness, not as a consequence of another disciplinary issue.
Earlier this season, Maresca publicly criticized Madueke after the winger was dropped to the bench for Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Aston Villa in December. The Italian coach had questioned Madueke’s attitude in training and accused him of easing off following a good performance. Though Maresca later reinstated the forward to the team, he was absent again during the Boxing Day loss to Fulham. On that occasion, Maresca described the decision as a “technical” one.
However, the situation surrounding Madueke’s absence against Morecambe was unrelated to discipline. “It was just because yesterday he didn’t finish the session,” Maresca explained after the 5-0 win. “He was unwell.”
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Maresca was pleased with the result, which saw Chelsea advance to the fourth round of the cup. As has been the case in many of Chelsea’s cup matches, Maresca fielded a youthful squad. Despite a challenging first 40 minutes, including a missed penalty from Christopher Nkunku, the Blues broke the deadlock, and a flurry of second-half goals sealed the victory, overshadowing Morecambe’s early resistance.
While Madueke was absent, the match marked Reece James’ return after a two-month absence. The Chelsea captain played 45 minutes before being substituted at halftime, alongside returning midfielder Romeo Lavia, as part of a pre-planned rotation.
“The idea is to slowly build the right condition,” Maresca said. “Especially for Reece, we have to be a bit more careful. The good thing is they both played 45 minutes and finished well without any issues. We can now begin to help them reach full fitness.”
