Chelsea star hits back at fans who rounded on Raheem Sterling – and lifts lid on life inside the dressing room
Back to the Bridge and it doesn’t feel like stretching a point by suggesting that the past week offered some light relief for Noni Madueke.
Whatever age group, England camps are enjoyable these days. Particularly the Under 21s, where Madueke is taking on extra responsibility in a team that is seeing its brightest cherry-picked by Gareth Southgate more readily than ever. With three goals in two qualifying victories, against Azerbaijan and Luxembourg, the past week has offered positivity for a man who needs some.
That’s gone – and the Young Lions won’t reconvene again until September. Back to reality and back to the Bridge.
Recent memories are strong. One of Madueke’s final touches there was the stunning late goal in an FA Cup quarter-final, one that finally took the tie away from 10-man Leicester City in a stadium besieged by animosity.
Yet it’s a new normal at Chelsea under ownership who have been warned of ‘irreversible toxicity’ by disenchanted fan groups more likely to jeer than cheer at the moment. Raheem Sterling copped for it during that Leicester game, missing a penalty and booed by a minority as Mauricio Pochettino hooked him when progression hung in the balance.
Noni Madueke will head back to a difficult Chelsea camp after success with England’s U21s
Recent memories have been good for Madueke, but there have been warnings of ‘irreversible toxicity’ from fans
Fans booed Raheem Sterling when he was substituted against Leicester after missing a penalty
Pochettino has his dissenters too, lying in the Premier League’s bottom half with a batch of talented yet inexperienced players thrown together for serious money. Anything but commanding victory over Burnley on Saturday will do nothing for public relations. Different members of the squad are becoming targets and it was noticeable that a number of youngsters leapt to the defence of Sterling when he issued an apology for his performance before the international break.
Madueke was one of them. And went one further, by then responding to a supporter who disagreed with his show of support for somebody who does so much for the greener stars behind the scenes.
‘It’s so important (to support him),’ the 22-year-old says. ‘I’m nobody to tell you not to have an opinion but I also have mine. That’s one of my teammates and the criticism is harsh and unfair. It’s our duty to voice our opinion and try to change the narrative a bit.
‘Raheem is an exceptional footballer and an even better person. It’s a bit upsetting when I see some of the criticism. I’m sure he can handle it but we know how important he is for us. He’s definitely a big brother figure for a lot of us. There is a lot that people don’t see. All I know is that he’s exceptional and super committed to the cause.’
Sterling doesn’t need any affirmation. Madueke knows that but then there is an element of wanting to show that this Chelsea team is a united front. How long the malaise goes on for is anybody’s guess – Pochettino himself is unlikely to have an idea – but Madueke insists that there is enough ability inside the dressing room to challenge once more.
With a game in hand, they lie five points adrift of seventh and eight behind Manchester United in sixth. The fixture list appears favourable, although Chelsea’s struggles under Pochettino have largely been amplified against unfancied opposition. Something will have to give – and a show needs putting on for the disgruntled.
‘I feel like negativity can only fuel you,’ Madueke adds. ‘It gives you a tougher skin, it’s part of the game. You’re not going to go through your career without having downs and negative times when people are saying you’re no good. The quicker you learn to deal with that, the better.
‘We’re in a semi-final of the FA Cup and, God willing, if we win that (trophy) then we’re in Europe. In the league there is still a lot of football to be played. We’re winning more often than we’re not at the moment. We have to keep it going and see where we end up.’
Madueke said that negativity ‘can fuel you’ and that he still has ambitions to win the FA Cup this season
He leapt to the defence of Sterling, branding him ‘an exceptional footballer and an even better person’
Sterling apologised to Chelsea fans online, insisting that he will come back ’10x stronger’
Madueke was just one of several Chelsea players who showed support for Sterling in the aftermath of the Leicester game
This is all new for him. One of Todd Boehly’s many, many signings, Madueke was plucked from PSV Eindhoven for £30million. Cheap, by Chelsea’s recent standards. They were purchasing somebody who honed a craft under Ruud van Nistelrooy for the Under 19s, sharpening up around the box and beginning to score scrappier goals. He’d been renowned for eye-catching strikes while in Tottenham’s academy but developed an appreciation for the sort that Van Nistelrooy made a living from. His untidy finish during Friday’s 5-1 win in Azerbaijan actually offered the perfect case study for the work Van Nistelrooy did, a goal borne out of movement.
Madueke eventually flew in Holland, excelling within a team capable of dealing with external pressure. ‘We won all the time,’ he adds. ‘This is the first time in my career where I’ve lost and drawn games.
‘It’s part of learning. Not just for me, all of us (especially) the players who aren’t that familiar with the Premier League and English football. What I can say is that every time I go to training I see an abundance of talent and a mentality that everyone wants to improve, wants to win. At Chelsea that is the expectation.
‘We’re not stupid, we know that. However, things don’t always go as you plan and you have to take accountability for yourself and the people around you, and just try to get better every day. I’m sure later down the line we’ll start winning. I’m sure about that.’
The forward said that criticism ‘doesn’t really bother me’ as he looks to help Chelsea turn their season around
He pledged to move forward despite finding game time limited this season at Stamford Bridge
It must be difficult to action that when faced with a barrage of criticism? ‘I can only speak for myself but for me it doesn’t really bother me. We’re in a social media era where it is very difficult to please people. I’m not really that bothered, I don’t care to watch it. I just focus on myself, my teammates and try to do the best I can every time I get an opportunity.’
Those have been in shorter supply than the winger might have hoped. Injury hardly helped early on in Pochettino’s reign, while the form of Cole Palmer has been a contributing factor in only four league starts this term. Aside from the toxicity, it is another reason why little over a week with Lee Carsley’s Under 21s can serve as a boost. The pair stay in touch when Madueke requires, Carsley not one to Whatsapp his players relentlessly, preferring them to make contact if needed.
‘If you go through your career and don’t have times where you’re not playing as much, and to think that’s not going to happen, is a bit silly,’ Madueke says. ‘It’s natural, it’s one of those curves in my career. I’m still capable of doing special things and I’m not too worried about things I can’t control. I just keep moving.’
