Noni Madueke steps up for England – as Chelsea try to prise away another English winger

New York Times

5 hours ago

Thomas Tuchel asked England's travelling supporters to be patient before their World Cup qualifier against Andorra in Barcelona.
The England head coach, knowing his team would have the majority of the ball, also spoke about wanting to 'suffocate the opponent in their half', while demanding a 'convincing win' and 'one without doubts'.
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As it transpired on Saturday night at Espanyol's RCDE Stadium, England's fans certainly had their patience tested — and the victory, 1-0 courtesy of Harry Kane's 72nd senior international goal, was anything but convincing.
There were loud boos at half-time, a smattering in the closing minutes and a few more at the final whistle as England played without any real intensity, were sloppy in possession and struggled to break down a team more than happy to sit everyone behind the ball.
'They were underwhelmed and not happy with our performance, especially how we ended the first half, so I don't think we can blame them for that,' Tuchel said of the booing.
The England fans, desperate for a good time, started working their way through a repertoire of songs, including serenading Manchester City's Phil Foden, who was not included in Tuchel's squad, and singing derogatory chants about Keir Starmer, the United Kingdom's prime minister.
'Matches like this can become awkward when you don't score a second goal,' Tuchel said of the performance. 'There were no more movements in the last third to attack the box.
'In the end, we played with fire. I felt it almost like in a cup game where the favourite does not smell the danger. I didn't feel a team that is aware that it's only 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier. Step by step, the energy dropped, and we needed exactly the opposite.'
But in a match that lacked any real quality, one player stood out — and it just happened to coincide with his club trying to prise away another talented English winger.
As reported by The Athletic during the England match, Chelsea have submitted a bid to sign Borussia Dortmund's Jamie Gittens, an England Under-21 international.
And with personal terms already agreed on a seven-year contract between the 20-year-old and the Premier League side, there is every chance a deal gets completed.
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Noni Madueke — who created Kane's 50th-minute goal — may find himself competing against Gittens for game time at Chelsea next season, even if Madueke played predominantly played on the right for Chelsea in 2024-25, while Gittens mostly featured on the left for Dortmund.
Madueke certainly showed his worth in an England shirt during a game that desperately needed a spark as he made his first appearance under Tuchel, and only his sixth appearance for the national team.
According to Opta, Madueke had more touches (12) than any other player in the opposition's box, completed the most dribbles (three), and finished joint-first in duels won (seven), alongside Jude Bellingham and Dan Burn.
Only Kane and Bellingham (three) had more shots on target than the 23-year-old's two efforts.
'Performance-wise, I'm happy,' Madueke told reporters after the game. 'I created chances for my team and tried to be positive when I had the ball.'
Unsurprisingly, Madueke was named England's player of the match.
'He was maybe over the course of the match the most dangerous, the most active,' Tuchel said of Madueke via England's official website. 'I could feel his hunger and the desire and determination to do the plan. He was one of the few who met the expectations.'
Madueke started the game against Andorra on the left wing, but then switched to the right flank after Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze replaced Cole Palmer in the second half.
'Right and left is the same for me, so I don't really mind,' Madueke said of the tactical change. 'I've been playing on the left for Chelsea in the last five or six games of the season, so right and left is all the same.
'You just have to try and beat your full-back and be positive. That's my game. That's what I go to every game trying to do, trying to create for my team, and it came off a lot of times.'
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Madueke said after the Andorra win that he doesn't know if he will start England's next match against Senegal on Tuesday, but the impression he left on Tuchel is unlikely to be forgotten, even if Tuchel makes changes to his starting XI.
When England needed someone to make something happen, Madueke stepped up. The fact it turned out to be on the night his club made clear their desire to sign another English winger made it all the more prescient.