"Just going to be a waste of time" - Pundit urges Enzo Maresca to drop Chelsea star from starting XI
Football pundit Craig Burley has urged Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca to drop attacker Mykhailo Mudryk. Burley believes the winger does not deserve a starting position and Pedro Neto should be picked ahead of him.
Speaking on ESPN, Burley opined that Mudryk wasn't consistent enough and thus should be relegated to the bench. He believes that Chelsea would do better without the Ukraine international in the starting XI. He said:
"Noni Madueke was absolutely flying from the first minute, it was a big statement from him. It was much better from Nicolas Jackson as well. Not that we learned anything, but Mykhailo Mudryk is just going to be a waste of time, as a starter. Pedro Neto will play there. He came on there, but he will play. Mudryk is just not consistent enough."
"'In terms of the performance, the big difference [from former managers] was the speed which Chelsea attacked. It was way better and I know it's only one game and they could revert back but I don't think so. It was clear to me that this manager wants the ball shifted quicker and they did it brilliantly. It was a brilliant performance," he added.
Mudryk was taken off at half-time by Enzo Maresca during Chelsea's recent win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, with the scoreline at 2-2. The Blues went on to score four goals without a reply in the second half, with Neto assisting the final goal in a 6-2 win.
Enzo Maresca to stay patient with Chelsea star
Enzo Maresca expected more of Mykhailo Mudryk in the win over Wolves. He stated that the winger was working hard off the ball, but was still not up to the mark. He said (via Metro):
"I was not happy. He was working very hard off the ball and that was very good. But in terms of on the ball, I expect a bit more quality from Misha. For me, he had some good moments the other day and some good moments today and the reason why was just because we needed to change and give Pedro [Neto] some minutes."
Maresca has previously stated that he wants to see more consistency from the winger.