Heading into the new Premier League season, Chelsea were seen as the 'banter' club once again.
Why? Well, unless you've been living under a rock, Todd Boehly has waved his big fat chequebook around again to bolster his squad further.
New bodies were needed under Enzo Maresca and they have actually completed some impressive business this summer. Pedro Neto has long been sought-after by clubs in the Premier League. Tosin Adarabioyo was smart on a free transfer and Joao Felix is a pretty handy player.
Yet, it's the way in which they've handled player exits that defies belief. Academy graduates Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah were alienated from the first-team squad and the same treatment has been dished out to high-earner Raheem Sterling.
So, when the Blues tasted defeat against Manchester City on the opening weekend you feared the worst once again.
Fortunately, they have bounced back well, producing their best performance in many a month to dispatch Wolves 6-2 at Molineux on Sunday afternoon.
Chelsea's best player vs Wolves
There's no prize for guessing this one. Noni Madueke – who among the thrills and spills of this transfer window has been linked with an exit – scored a remarkable hat-trick during a frantic 14-minute period of football.
It was the first of his career and one that will likely now keep him at Stamford Bridge. Talk about timing. This Chelsea squad won't be easy to feature regularly in this season but the former PSV Eindhoven star has begun the season with some aplomb.
All three strikes were supplied by Cole Palmer, running Wolves ragged with a trio of goals that silenced a crowd who had been booing the winger due to comments on social media prior to the game.
His first may have been deflected beyond the goalkeeper by Rayan Ait-Nouri but there was no doubting the quality of the other two goals, firing beyond Jose Sa from very similar angles having been laid off by the inevitable Palmer.
That said, despite a rosy day for Chelsea, there was one notable underperformer in Blue.
Chelsea's worst player vs Wolves
Coming into this new campaign Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk was sporting a new head of hair. Gone were the luscious blonde locks. Instead, a skinhead had arrived back at Cobham, ready and raring to show something different on the pitch too.
Sadly, the mega-money signing during the winter of 2023 is still failing to produce the goods and is leaving fans to wonder why on earth they paid such a pretty penny to beat Arsenal to his signature.
Mudryk's lack of influence on the game was summed up by his withdrawal at the break. Maresca said after the game that he was "not happy" with his display in possession.
Why was that the case? Well, the stats do all of the heavy lifting for us. Inevitably producing fewer touches (13) than goalkeeper Robert Sanchez's 54, he left the pitch having mustered a tally of just five completed passes. From his low number of touches, he ceded possession on six occasions.
On that evidence, it's hardly a surprise the new manager was a bit fed up with the winger's performance.
Minutes played
45
Touches
13
Accurate passes
5/8 (63%)
Crosses
0/1
Key passes
0
Dribble attempts
1/2
Ground duels won
1/4
Aerial duels won
0/1
Possession lost
6x
Shots
0
To make matters worse he failed to carve out a single key pass on a day where Chelsea ran rampant. Mudryk also succeeded with just one of his two dribble attempts.
This was a particularly poor afternoon for the attacker who was given a hammering by the media post-game. Football.London's Bobby Vincent handed him a 5/10, lambasting his 'quiet' nature. GOAL were particularly scathing with reporter Mark Doyle suggesting it was a 0/10 display, writing that it was an 'embarrassingly ineffective display'. Tell us what you really think, eh?
So, with Neto champing at the bit for his first league start for Chelsea, Joao Felix recently signed and Christopher Nkunku also looking over his shoulder, it would not be a surprise to see Mudryk benched next time out.
Move over Madueke: 9/10 Chelsea ace was the real star for Maresca
Chelsea smashed Wolves 6-2 for Maresca’s first Premier League win.
ByConnor HoldenAug 25, 2024