“Enzo, drop him and Madueke, they are just too wasteful” – This is according to John Mikel Obi as declears that Beside Madueke, Enzo Maresca must consider dropping another struggling Chelsea player who recently posted a disappointing 3/10 performance and achieved only a 50% pass accuracy. This inconsistency hinders Chelsea’s gameplay and raises questions about lineup changes needed for future matches.

After their first defeat since August against Liverpool last weekend, Chelsea rebounded with a 2-1 win over Newcastle United. While not an easy victory, impressive performances from key players like Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto helped secure a crucial three points, leaving Chelsea in fourth place and only a point behind title-chasing Arsenal.

Though most of the squad performed well enough to retain their spots, a few players underwhelmed, including Noni Madueke.

### Why Madueke Should Be Dropped

To clarify, Madueke has largely impressed this season, with five goals in ten appearances, establishing himself as a key starter. However, his performance against Newcastle fell short in both offensive and defensive contributions.

In his 67 minutes on the field, he registered an expected goals (xG) of 0.08 and expected assists (xA) of 0.18. He failed two of his three crosses, lost possession ten times, won only two out of eight duels, completed just one of his two dribble attempts, and was dribbled past once, leaving Malo Gusto exposed at times. His quieter display even drew a 5/10 rating from journalist Lloyd Canfield, who noted Madueke was “outshone by Pedro Neto.”

While Madueke will play a significant role for Chelsea this season, his lackluster performance suggests he might be better served coming off the bench in the next match.

### Why Robert Sanchez Should Be Dropped

Despite showing slight improvement this season, Robert Sanchez struggled in this match and was arguably Chelsea’s weakest link against Newcastle. Though he avoided costly mistakes, Sanchez was visibly uncomfortable with the ball, nearly placing his teammates in difficult positions.

Critics noted this inconsistency, with Canfield rating him a 3/10 and calling him a “liability,” while Bobby Vincent of *football.london* labeled his performance “poor,” particularly due to his passing accuracy of only 50%. Sanchez misplaced 19 of his 24 long balls, was dribbled past once, and failed in his sole ground duel. Given his stats and ongoing inconsistency, Maresca should consider handing Filip Jørgensen his Premier League debut against United on Sunday.