Mikel Arteta has praised Noni Madueke’s determination to improve and his recent performances, whilst adding that the winger can still be even better.
Between the September-October international break and the imminent November one, Noni Madueke has put in some impressive performances.
Wingers are often judged solely on goals and assists, and Madueke has a few of those. He set up a goal against Lille, scored a vital winner away to Nottingham Forest in October, and scored the opening goal against Slavia Praha in midweek.
But the 24-year-old has also made the difference in a lot of other games.
It was Madueke’s cross that led to Arsenal’s equaliser against Leeds United, he was heavily involved in the moves for the late equaliser against Bayern Munich and the winner against Liverpool, and it was his rebounded shot that Martin Odegaard turned home for the winner against Hull City.
Speaking after the Hull game about Madueke’s recent form, Mikel Arteta admitted he’s been impressed with the former Chelsea man, even if he thinks there’s still room to get even better.
“[Noni] reacted to not playing often, went away, started to train and was a different Noni,” Arteta said. “He wasn’t going to accept that situation, he meant business, and since then he has been incredible.
“Now you are in that position, he needs to hone and improve it, so let’s see if he can do that.
“He knew he had three clear chances to score. He contributed and impacted in the action for the goal for Martin, but there are still margins we can work to make him more efficient.”
Sky Sports report that Madueke has now created more chances per 90 minutes than any other player in the Premier League with a minimum of 250 minutes played.
There’s more than double what the winger was managing last season, and it suggests he’s getting a lot more out of his obvious dribbling ability.
With Bukayo Saka out, it was vital that Madueke stepped up and contributed over this latest run of games. He’s absolutely done that, and the only question now is why Thomas Tuchel didn’t recognise that with an England call-up.
From an Arsenal perspective, it’s no bad thing that Madueke will now get a period of rest and a chance to go again at full throttle after the break.
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