Just two goals were scored by Mohamed Salah while he was playing for Chelsea, but he has since transformed into a prolific attacker for Liverpool, winning three Premier League Golden Boots.
Noni Madueke, a winger for Chelsea, is practising his finishing by viewing clips of Mohamed Salah’s best goals.
However, Madueke, 21, has only scored one Premier League goal since joining the Blues from PSV in January. However, he did score twice in England’s under-21 team’s 9-1 win over Serbia on Thursday, thrilling Chelsea supporters about his extraordinary potential.
The right side is where Madueke is most effective, and he wants to emulate Salah’s success there. The 31-year-old international from Egypt joined Liverpool from Roma in June 2017 and has since scored 192 goals in 315 games, winning three Premier League Golden Boot awards.
However, Madueke will be trying to outperform Salah at Stamford Bridge. Between January 2014 to February 2015, the Liverpool star was a member of Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea team, but he struggled to make an impact, scoring just two goals in 19 games.
“I look at the best. James Ryder, our analyst, clipped up (Kylian) Mbappe and Salah, so I watch them a lot,” Madueke told the Evening Standard. “The way they always follow their pass into the box, or when a team-mate is in the box, they’re always there to anticipate.
“One thing I’ve got to add to my game is the easier goals, the one-touch goals – that’s what I’m trying to improve. I know I go at such a pace so sometimes I’ve got to calm down at the last moment, take a breath and then slot it away. I’ve just got to keep working.”
At Chelsea, where there is intense rivalry for positions, Madueke thinks it will “just be a matter of time being things click.” There are a number of wingers available to Mauricio Pochettino, including Raheem Sterling, Cole Palmer, Mykhaylo Mudryk, and Ian Maatsen.
Madueke acknowledged that it is “difficult” to break into Chelsea’s starting lineup, but he was grateful for the “freedom to play” from England U21 manager Lee Carsley and his assistant Ashley Cole. He continued: “I love coming over here and showing everyone what I can do.”
When England plays Ukraine in Slovakia on Monday, the rising star will want to provide yet another outstanding U21 performance. The Young Lions won the U21 Euros earlier this year, but to go to the following competition in two years, they must finish first in their group.
England easily defeated Serbia and Luxembourg in their first two qualifying matches, but they cannot afford to lose to Ukraine. Ukraine has also had a flawless start to qualifying with victories over Northern Ireland and Luxembourg.
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