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.”
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.”
