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Chelsea vs Brentford: 2 young Blues who deserve a chance in west London

By Caden Charpentier

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 21: Noni Madueke of Chelsea and William Saliba of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC at Stamford Bridge on October 21, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 21: Noni Madueke of Chelsea and William Saliba of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC at Stamford Bridge on October 21, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 30: Noni Madueke of Chelsea celebrates after scoring the team’s first goal during the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Chelsea and AFC Wimbledon at Stamford Bridge on August 30, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) /

2 Chelsea starlets who deserve a chance in west London

1. Noni Madueke of Chelsea

The 21-year old winger once ran rampant when he donned red and white with PSV Eindhoven, so why not throw him in against a club with the same colors? That’s the first part of the justification. It is difficult to replace almost anyone in Pochettino’s front line with Raheem Sterling, and Mykhailo Mudryk forming some consistency on the flanks.

Once Mudryk was provided with a consistent role, confidence and form followed. The progression of Madueke may follow that same path. During the last international break, the former Tottenham academy attacker starred in his country’s colors. Madueke scored twice against Serbia, and once in a clash with Ukraine.

That could have acted as a stringboard into a start against the north Londoners’ last weekend. It did not. He participated in just seven minutes. In total, the English youngster has contributed in the third fewest minutes in the Premier League of any of Pochettino’s men with at least one minute between the lines.

The winger was brilliant against AFC Wimbledon in the EFL Cup, but was rewarded with less than 30 minutes in a battle with Nottingham Forest. This does not mean he has to start this Saturday. Madueke just needs to see the pitch for more than 29 minutes. His impact for the young Lionesses is undeniable. It’s time to recognize that. It’s all about patience, especially for someone just 21 years old, but against a goalkeeper that is fairly new to the league, why not see what he can do in extended minutes?

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