“The manager protecting him is mad” - Rio Ferdinand says Chelsea star deserves to be fined for being ‘disrespectful’ to teammates in Arsenal draw
Rio Ferdinand has slammed Chelsea star Noni Madueke for his angry reaction to being subbed off against Arsenal last Sunday (November 10). The pundit has urged Enzo Maresca to fine the 22-year-old for his behavior.
The London derby at Stamford Bridge last weekend ended in a 1-1 draw, with the Blues and the Gunners sharing the points. Madueke, who started on the right wing, was replaced by Mykhailo Mudryk in the 68th minute. At that point, Chelsea were 0-1 down courtesy of Gabriel Martinelli's opener at the hour mark.
Madueke was visibly frustrated with Maresca's decision as he could be seen storming off into the Stamford Bridge tunnel. His actions did not sit well with Ferdinand, who believes a two-week fine is warranted for the England international.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, the Manchester United legend stated (via GIVEMESPORT):
"It’s disrespectful to your teammates as well. It’s a young team. Who are the experienced players who are going to go in there and say, 'Woah, we don’t accept that here'. And I understand his thinking but at the same time, I don’t understand why you are doing that."
He added:
“I think the manager protecting him is mad. And that’s why I couldn’t be in there [as a manager] because I couldn’t come out and play the game where you say, ‘Yeah, he was in the wrong but [he’s a good kid].’ Fined, that’s a two-week fine.”
Shortly after Madueke's substitution, Pedro Neto, who switched to the right wing, scored the equalizer for Chelsea with an extraordinary finish in the 70th minute.
Enzo Maresca's comments on Chelsea star Noni Madueke's reaction to being subbed off
While Rio Ferdinand was rather critical of Madueke's behavior, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca seemed to have defended his player, insisting that the reaction showed his passion and determination to stay on.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Maresca stated (via The Standard):
“When you change a player, they are never happy. Probably the only way to be happy is like the Wolves game, when he scored a hat-trick and we changed him, so he was happy. It’s not only about Noni, it’s about all the players. It’s a good thing because they want to be there until the end."
He added, explaining the tactical reasoning behind his decision, which certainly paid off as Neto found the back of the net after switching flanks.
“But in that moment we saw it in a different way. We thought Pedro, against [Jurrien] Timber, could be a bit more aggressive, and with Micha [Mykhailo Mudryk] also. It was a tactical decision, no more than that," he added.
Madueke has started all of his side's Premier League fixtures so far this season, barring Chelsea's opener against Manchester City. The 22-year-old winger has scored four goals in the league this term.