"There is no hope for him", "Uncoachable" - Chelsea fans slam star's performance despite 2-0 win over Servette
Following a disappointing defeat to Manchester City in their opening game of the Premier League season, Chelsea secured their first win under Enzo Maresca against Servette on Thursday, August 22. They will take a two-goal advantage when they travel to Switzerland next week for the second leg of the Conference League qualification round.
While the result might have been convincing, the performance was far from it. In fact, the Blues’ stars were jeered at half-time by the supporters, as they struggled to create anything of significance.
Eventually, a penalty from Christopher Nkunku in the 50th minute and a late strike from substitute Noni Madueke (76') secured a crucial win for Maresca's side.
The Chelsea faithful were particularly displeased with the performance of Mykhailo Mudryk, as even Maresca seemed to have lost patience with the Ukrainian winger.
Some fans believe that the forward is “uncoachable,” while others think he hasn’t justified anything close to his £88.5 million fee the club paid for him in 2023. Here are a few reactions on X:
"There is no hope for him," one fan opined.
"Mudryk might actually be the worst ever player i've seen play this sport," another chimed in.
"Mudryk is uncoachable," a fan commented.
"The one player I can say Antony is clear of. I can’t believe they paid £80M for him," remarked a fan.
"Needs a break from the prem," another fan commented.
"That guys is gone for good, we need to offload him asap," another Chelsea supporter added.
Mudryk, who arrived with a strong reputation, has made 59 appearances across all competitions for Chelsea but has only scored seven goals and provided four assists. He has struggled to make an impact in England and is currently behind players like Pedro Neto and Nkunku in Maresca’s pecking order.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca shares his thoughts on Mykhailo Mudryk’s performance
Despite Mudryk’s struggles, Maresca kept faith in him and played the winger for the full 90 minutes. After a poor first half, the 23-year-old showed improvement in the second half, during which Chelsea scored twice.
Maresca feels that the winger lacks consistency to make an impact, but believes that with better decision-making in the final third, Mudryk will improve significantly.
“I think this is Mudryk, in terms of not only tonight, but in terms of since he joined the club. I think he had some good moments and then some moments like flipping a coin. You don’t know if it’s one thing or the other thing. If he can become more consistent, he can take one step forward," Maresca said. (via Football London)
“We are going to try and help him change. He needs to try and understand that we are going to give him the ball in the last third. And when he’s there [it’s about] taking the right decision," he added.
Chelsea will next be on their travels to face Wolves in the Premier League (August 25) before playing the second leg against Servette (August 29) in Switzerland.