Noni Madueke is starting to make a much bigger impression at Arsenal, and Mikel Arteta believes the winger’s recent form can be traced back to how he responded when opportunities were scarce.
Mikel Arteta has pointed to Noni Madueke’s work away from the spotlight as the reason behind the winger’s growing influence at Arsenal.
Madueke has responded to a spell on the fringes by improving his fitness and forcing his way into a more important role, something Arteta believes has been driven by the player’s own dedication, even if it has also been helped by the injury to Bukayo Saka.
That included using the last international break for extra training rather than taking time off.
“He’s a great example for the rest of the group because before the first international break he wasn’t playing,” Arteta said.
“What he did is, instead of going on holidays, he went to Portugal and got somebody to train with him and got in better shape and condition and immediately he got back into the rhythm.”
The benefits have started to show in Madueke’s performances.
He was involved in the winning goal against Hull City on Saturday, when Martin Odegaard converted the rebound after Konstantinos Tzolakis saved Madueke’s shot in the 72nd minute.
That goal gave Arsenal a 1-0 win at the Emirates, while Madueke’s individual numbers reflected the threat he carried throughout the game.
He completed six of his eight attempted dribbles, had four shots and recorded a match-high 14 touches inside the opposition box.
Arteta believes the winger is now playing with greater belief, particularly when attacking defenders directly.
“You can see now he is full of confidence and trying things and getting past players, and he’s impacting games with goals and assists, and we are very happy with that,” Arteta added.
As mentioned, Madueke’s importance has grown during Saka’s absence, with the Hull performance another example of what he can offer from the right.
Arteta, though, still sees room for improvement.
The manager felt Arsenal could have had a more comfortable afternoon had the winger taken one of his earlier opportunities.
“He knew he had three clear chances to score,” Arteta said. “He contributed and impacted in the action for the goal for Martin, but there are still margins we can work on, to make him more efficient.”
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