And give me the ball: breaking down Noni Madueke’s performance at Arsenal

Now I’m sold.

• Talented players are one thing

• Volume players (based on his amount of actions in Holland) is another

Biggest scouting / game feature to look at is to continue trying with the same intent, regardless of the previous action’s success/failure. These are the ones.

Noni Madueke certainly displayed these things away at Arsenal, and could add a goal on top of a certainly eye-catching performance.

These are a dozen points to break down Madueke’s key involvement (on the ball) based on the now tradtional video comp that made the rounds on socials the next day.

The tune is the one of a feedback session, what was good, what could be improved and most importantly; why and how.

Madueke had an interesting performance and a goal. Key takeaway is that he never stopped trying. Which is really good given circumstances That said there’s a lot of small details that could increase the quality of his involvement.

That’s another video compilation, cropped in height and the not YouTube-friendly starts of moves. Worth watching first for reference of the plays.

#1 Don’t receive the ball flat!

Noni has a tendency to receive the ball flat: ideally you’d want your back to the touchline

That exposes him to be closed down / fouled from behind

I think he knows it, sometimes baits defenders to roll them

Using the right arm to shield will avoid him to get fouled by actual LBs

#2 Tracking back is good

the effort is there. Lampard praised his efforts at training for the past month.
Lampard, enforcing standards. Business as usual.

However utmost efficiency here goes with the famed “interception x pass”

Chop the ball and pass it to restart the possession: Right for Azpi Left for Fofana Not left then think

#3 Build angled connections

in terms of combination play and chemistry:

Don’t play the pass back inside square. Kanté needs to provide an angle

Or Noni to receive and hold to create that angle fwd/backwds

Why the totalitarism? Straight pass invites pressure (ball doesn’t move a inch toward goal, opponent close it down)

• Play pass 1 square, pass 2 is backwards, 3 likely backwards too

• Play pass 1 backwards, pass 2 is forward

• Play pass 1 forward, pass 2 is backwards (usually), 3 is forward

Then brawl and move Zinchenko. Noni’s slowed down. Arm stretched, palm to shove and make way

#4 Noni’s mazy run (on a rail)

First touch is casual, wants to hook it (but trying it = feels confident) Recommendation would be “semi blocking”, ie killing it on the bounce into space without stopping it

In French we say “small bridge” for nutmeg, “big bridge” for this

#4.1 Emperor penguins don’t play football for a reason

Madueke too easy to clip by Odegaard:

delay step, let the leg tangling = draw a foul

Or left palm in the chest to keep opponent at bay

Madueke’s R arm is ineffective to prevent a further shove. Does what he often does, bending to keep his balance. Better than nothing but not ideal

#4.2 Madueke’s use of his balance is still not ideal at the end of the run: You are in control of your weight, don’t shove opponents using your weight with *weak* arms. That’s where arm strength comes into play Gets *magneted* off trajectory trying to do two things at once

#4.3 That’s *lame*

Attackers need to show ruthlessness, not share the ball for charity in final third. There was room to go to the by line and funambule his way to the box to shoot or cross. All that hustle to start a counter attack for Arsenal with that pass back to Kanté not connecting

#5 Attacking Zinchenko 1v1

A: good stuff, drive diagonally (picture above)

B: shift is too early/safe, distance is enough for Z to recover his footing

C: trademark Luis Figo chop/feint/drag

D: but unfortunately the drag stays at the bottom of the shoe

#5.1 Extra touches to make Zinchenko dancing on his feet Combination of shoulder drops and touches at every foot is good. Prevent the defender to second guess where the trigger will be pulled (picture below)

However don’t look for clean-ness Just hit it low hard in the mixer. Not a cutback!

#6 safe technical management in his own third

A: reaches Noni on his right

B: good stuff, immediately shifts it onto his left (farthest foot from Zinchenko)

C: but now gotta bounce, drag bodies away from here and don’t monitor how they’ll handle it. They’re grown ups

#7 Remember Willian?

“Fuck him he always passes the ball back”

Noni knows he’s into a dead end (Trossard has an edge + already between ball-goal) Noni lets it roll and retains possession

Huge promise for a 21 year old winger to do that.

+ goals + workrate + runs

Good stuff

#8 Positive ball carrying into space

(On FM I end up with Madueke CM, Olise RW, M. Edwards 10. Never mind carry on)
Okay I also found Badredine Bouanani and Gonzalo Plata to add to the nonsense.

First touch is positive but bit bumpy, irregular contact. Ball mastery is about identifying whether the ball is better kept close to the foot to drive it, or knock before to eat up space at speed.

As much as Noni is one of the most unsettling ball carriers (very good), it’s always a fine line between posing questions to the opponent and losing control yourself (that doesn’t happen to him like a certain other former Men’s NT captain from a 200 million inhabitant federation of states – who genuinely keeps chasing his first touch, and second and so on).

This drive is good, nevertless takes him slightly off direction.

Shoulder drops good, inconsistent (yet controlled) weight of touches good (and he’s really powerful on the first few yards). Keep the ball in the path, better (carries it like at hockey at times. Definitely one good player)

Hence that weird successful pass, but balance is off (pivot foot far from ball)

Efficiency rules, but maybe a correct position of pivot foot prevents the ball to bounce off the floor

Auba, right foot, lol? To smash it with the left why not, in that case it just rebounds on his shinpad. Thought he’d go off after 59’, turns out Lampard and Chelsea saw enough come half time.

#9 Manhandled by Zinchenko

Not possible to go from A to B

This shit won’t be called (unless Madueke becomes someone, stops straight and waves arms).

Right palm in his chest Be on half turn (back to touchline right leg in front ball shifted with the left foot) Still retains

#10 dribbling bit too academical

A: too long to drive diagonally More he stays on rail, more Z shows him wide (above)

B: Z takes lead and shows Madueke towards the corner flag

C: why wait for the double team to set up? Thanks for speed/power he’s got to still make a difference.

D: has to connect with someone inside the box

A & B = reminiscent of young Vinicius (the one idiots with a loud mouth wrote off two years ago because Benzema half time camera in the tunnel whatever – Vinicius was always going to the top, his repetition of high level actions is insane)

Problem with “academic, nice” wingers is that they may not take the matter in hand directly. Instead they’re sort of waitining for the FB to set like it’s fencing.

Madueke isn’t a “nice player” and certainly also has the wittiness of modern attackers (with other forms of football practice, cage etc), but his dribbling has the outlook of a really good coaching pathway as opposed of a pure “vibes” dribbler (who can also dribble himself)

Bit of shitposting can’t do no harm: 1967, two (French) MPs settling one telling the other to “shut it, idiot” in the Parliament. With a fucking fence duel. Nineteen sixty seven.

Wingers need to drive diagonally at fullbacks possibly from the first touch (harder to backpedal diagonally withot stepping on one’s laces).

Don’t get two touches on a rail(track) and wait for the defenders to adopt a good defensive posture (which is the one on the left, in case any doubt subsists)

Go at him especially before he’s ready. Fencing and football have specific footwork techniques. Both advise against backpedalling both feet in fresh concrete.

#11 why emperors penguins don’t play football

Madueke has to be neater (to avoid knocks and recycle possession)

Cannot receive flat (as in: should not do it, no matter what)

Lucky Zinchenko is nice (like his team)

Half turn, right leg trailing draw a foul to relieve pressure is one option

Or right palm in chest get rid to recycle to avoid heels to end up like Hazard

#12 Nicey nicey dribbling

Same story as #10

A: First touch on his right, too safe, on a rail.

Mood should be: drive diagonally positively towards Zinchenko as soon as possible:

“I’m going to do you!”

B: & C: good double team management from the Ars’nal, which is set before Madueke really gathers pace

D: Madueke ends up backwards (Pedro? is that you?)

— Do not wait the opponent is set to go at them.

One becomes double team, becomes 3

#13 The G O A L

We ALL know Zinchenko is a liability that is responsible for goals whenever City played a top 6 team. That’s why Tony PEPLIS is now playing 4 CBs on the way to a treble.

Madueke’s diagonal run is very interesting. Dribblers who can run in behind are worth gold

#13.1 Madueke puts a lot of thought into that finish and he deserves to score If he kills the ball, or controls it when it bounces Trajectory is *easier* to read for a standard shoot for the goalkeeper So let’s it bounce to juggle with it and bring it along

#13.2 COMPOSURE (and Apex)

The hardest thing is to keep composure in the box. Let alone for a big Chelsea transfer from Barnet and Spurs at the Emirates. Need to wait the ball reaches its apex (highest point of the curve)

Then ONLY hit it when it falls (hit before apex, → ball sent into the moon’s orbit)

#13.3 OVER THE TRIANGLE

When strikers end up 1v1 and GK goes to ground (as opposed to standing his ground – in which case duh you hit it like Willian against Bravo. Low)

Forwards need to mentally visualise the “triangle” = Opening between leg and arm Only elite GKs (Emi Martinez, screw you) can still adjust their arm to block

Madueke hits over the ball to bounce it over the GK. Excellent.
Lukaku is also excellent at dealing with these finishes and volley it on the floor to make it fizz or rebound over goalkeepers’ legs. Neal Maupay, he’s outright fluffing shots though. Mostly unintentional

“None of this was intentional”

I believe each building block of that goal

– Control

– Wait after the apex

– Finishing

Had good enough level of thinking behind it Crucial to put strikers in “chaotic finishing sessions” to develop problem solving skills to deal with bounces

That’s it for Chukwunonso Ndjoumi Tristan Madueke’s performance at Arsenal

+ great personality to persevere

+ good variety of in/out, passes, runs

– be ruthless in final 1/3

– shield the ball to avoid contact and stay on course

– don’t wait for defenders to set