Enzo Maresca admitted he had been working to get Chelsea’s wingers into better scoring positions in the box after Mykhailo Mudryk starred in Chelsea’s UEFA Europa Conference League win over Panathinaikos.
The struggles of the Ukrainian international since joining Chelsea in a deal worth around £90m have been well documented, with Mudryk managing just nine Premier League goals.
Mudryk’s questionable form has seen new manager Enzo Maresca use him sparingly in the Premier League, notably playing just 82 minutes of league football in the 2024/25 campaign so far.
The 23-year-old, who saw Chelsea bolster their options in the summer with the signings of Joao Felix, Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho, was given the chance to start for the Blues against Panathinaikos on Thursday and make the most of your opportunity by scoring your goal. first goal of the season – also assisted two more in one 4-1 win.
Speaking to the press about Mudryk’s star turn in Greece, Maresca admitted he was delighted with the display and revealed what he had been working on specifically with all his wingers ahead of the game.
“I’m very happy but not for me, for him,” said the former City of Leicester said the boss. “We, as a staff, spend a lot of time helping the players, not only Misha but the whole squad, and since we started we have been working with all the full-backs to get them inside the box and in position where Misha scored.
“It took him a while to get there but now he’s getting there and that’s where we’re going to score goals. The same goes for Jadon (Sancho), Noni (Madueke), Pedro (Neto), all the wingers, they have to be in that position because the ball will reach this position”.
Two of Chelsea’s goals came from Felix, while the fourth came from Christopher Nkunku, who has also found it difficult to get regular minutes in the Premier League due to the form of current main striker Nicolas Jackson.
The Frenchman now has eight goals to his name for the season in all competitions and, like Mudryk, will be hoping his display can earn him a start when Chelsea take on Newcastle United in Premier League on sunday
