Frank Lampard has only been in charge of Chelsea for four matches during his second stint and is already feeling the strain, such is the nature of being boss at the Stamford Bridge side under Todd Boehly.
They will persist with him until a new manager is appointed at the end of the season, but there are still seven matches to go in the Premier League and the Blues aren’t even guaranteed a spot in the top half.
A mass clear-out is required at the club under the new manager, whoever that may be, and Lampard will be doing all he can to give him a solid base to begin from.
One thing the former Blues midfielder should be doing is giving some young talent a chance in the first team before the campaign ends and Noni Madueke should be staking a claim after struggling for minutes recently.
Should Noni Madueke start for Chelsea?
The £29m signing from PSV Eindhoven deserves a chance over the final few weeks to showcase his incredible talent ahead of next term and this could give Lampard the licence to ditch Hakim Ziyech, who has been woeful during 2022/23.
The winger has made just 14 appearances in the top flight, with only six starts, registering just one assist and creating five big chances, proving that he isn’t nearly as effective as Graham Potter and Thomas Tuchel wanted him to be.
His Sofascore rating of 6.83/10 ranks him as only the 16th-best performer in the team, and it’s evident that his time at the club could soon be coming to an end.
Madueke hasn’t had much of a chance at the club having joined during the winter transfer window, with Potter restricting him to just five league games so far, yet he has shown glimpses of his ability.
The 21-year-old has averaged 1.4 key passes, 0.8 shots and 31 touches in the limited time he has had on the field of play, suggesting that with more game time, these stats will only get better.
Having succeeded with 2.2 dribbles per game, there is no doubt he can thrive on the right wing for Chelsea if given a chance under Lampard, and with nothing left to play for but pride, the chance is now.
Madueke is a regular for England at U21 level and manager Lee Carsley heaped plenty of praise on the youngster, saying: “He is exciting, fast, direct, and very versatile but what we have to remember is he is still young.
“He is going to need time, match minutes, the time to work on his game, but he has high potential. Like a lot of the younger players, he just needs an opportunity.”
Could this opportunity present itself over the coming weeks? Only time will tell but in order for the club to progress, they need to be placing their trust in talent who is willing to work hard and make an impression, while ditching those that have underperformed.
