Premier League: Madueke credits head coach Maresca for Chelsea’s attacking surge

London: Noni Madueke believes head coach Enzo Maresca deserves a lot of credit for implementing his philosophy to such a high level so quickly. Maresca has only been in charge of the Blues for five months but has already guided the team to second in the Premier League table and the top of the UEFA Conference League standings.

No team has scored more in either competition this season, with 49 goals in just 18 games. Add into the mix that only two teams – Liverpool (11) and Arsenal (14) – have conceded less than 15 goals in the Premier League this term which is an indication that things have been going well at both ends of the pitch for the Blues.

“We’re progressing. Spirits are high in the changing room at the moment. Everyone is enjoying their football. Credit to the gaffer and the staff for the harmony in the group and, of course, when you’re scoring goals everyone is happy.

“We hope people watching us are enjoying how we’re playing. It’s fun to play in, and it’s a lot of hard work, of course, when you press all over the pitch and go man-to-man. It’s not just scoring goals, it’s about being resolute defensively and dominating your man one-on-one.

The future is looking bright for Chelsea as they have the youngest team in the Premier League, with the average age of their starting XI being under 24 for the majority of this season.

Madueke himself is just 22 years of age and he said ‘It’s fun being part of a young group. We’re young but we’re mature, we’re men out on the pitch. "We have a structure of course. When you put quality players on the pitch, a lot of it is instinct, but if we find ourselves in different positions, we have to make sure it’s not to the detriment of the structure. We’re doing that well," he said.

Madueke has been an integral part of Chelsea’s success this season, starting 12 of their last 13 Premier League matches after sitting out the opening fixture with Manchester City.

Sunday sees Madueke return to Tottenham Hotspur, where he spent several years in their academy as a teenager, before deciding to move to PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands as a 16-year-old “It’s a special game versus Tottenham, it’s a rivalry, it’s one the fans care about a lot, and we take it very, very, very seriously. We’re going to recover and make sure we’re right at it versus Spurs,’ concluded the Englishman.