After starting three of our first four matches of the season — two of which were the two legs against Servette FC, mind — and doing not much at all, Mykhailo Mudryk has made just one substitute appearance in our last three games and seems to have fallen to the very bottom of the pecking order in attack.
That’s not entirely surprising given the previous 18 months, but unlike during those previous 18 months, the narrative seems to be shifting away from the idea that he needed was a consistent run in the team to gain some confidence or some other intangible thing.
While I cannot find the full quotes or their exact context (these come from the off-camera portion of the pre-match press conference), Enzo Maresca has seemingly arrived to the same conclusion after just a couple months of working with Mudryk.
“I don’t think it’s a lack of confidence. Misha is Misha, you have to accept the way he is. Hopefully he can get minutes and do better.”
-Enzo Maresca; source: Twitter
So that’s a pretty damning indictment, coming from the man in charge of giving out those minutes.
Earlier this summer, Maresca talked about Mudryk needing to be more consistent in his decision-making as well as to play with a “bit more quality”, and about us trying to help him improve in those aspects. But with a plethora of other options to choose from in attack, including two new arrivals since in João Félix and Jadon Sancho, minutes are going to be scarce for Misha, to say the least — unless he does take that next step that he needs to take in order to progress his career.
Enzo Maresca also spoke about being the latest Chelsea coach to try to unlock Mykhailo Mudryk’s potential. Said: “I don’t think it’s a lack of confidence. Misha is Misha, you have to accept the way he is. Hopefully he can get minutes and do better.”
— Kieran Gill (@kierangill_DM) September 23, 2024
