Micah Richards tells Chelsea player to be calmer in attack despite scoring vs Southampton

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Micah Richards was full of praise for one Chelsea star after his performance in yesterday’s away win at Southampton, but he still thinks that he can be better in front of goal.

Chelsea flexed their attacking muscles on Wednesday evening by thrashing Southampton 5-1 at St Mary’s. As a result, the Blues picked up three points and moved up to second in the Premier League.

Enzo Maresca made the bold decision to shuffle his pack with seven changes to the starting line-up, but the decision was eventually justified after extending their winning run in the league to three games.

Blues goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen was one of seven changes against Southampton as he made his Premier League debut. However, Maresca confirms Chelsea’s Robert Sanchez will start in goal against Tottenham.

• READ MORE: Jamie Carragher makes prediction about Chelsea after they thrash Southampton 5-1

Micah Richards reacts to Noni Madueke display vs Southampton

Micah Richards really liked what he saw from Chelsea’s Noni Madueke against the Saints. The right-winger marked his return to the starting XI with a goal and assist in the 5-1 thrashing.

However, Richards has offered some advice to the England international by saying he needs to be a bit calmer in front of goal. FOTMOB data recorded that Madueke missed four big chances in the Southampton win.

“I was just impressed with his improvement. He’s still 22 years of age. Coming to Chelsea from PSV [Eindhoven], where he scored a lot of goals. He’s now doing it on a consistent basis,” Richards told Match of the Day.

“It’s difficult when you’ve got [Pedro] Neto and [Jadon] Sancho playing on the wings as well, but just his application. When it’s time to press, he presses well. He hugs the line as well. I think that’s very good for wingers to do. And because he’s left-footed, he can go both ways.

“I think the only improvement going forward is just being a little bit calmer in front of goal. He snatches at a lot of things.

“But he’s always available. Look at this for a finish. He knocks it to the side and bends it in.”

Similarly, Madueke received some constructive criticism from the Chelsea manager after the Southampton win.

Maresca claims Chelsea attacker Madueke can be much better, both with his work in games and in training. Hopefully, he uses this as fuel to kick on during a season that’s going relatively well for him.

Chelsea competition keeps Noni Madueke on his toes

There’s so much competition for places in the Chelsea squad right now that none of the first-team players can took their foot off the gas.

While Madueke has come in for a bit of criticism in the last 24 hours, which is justified because his finishing can be a lot more ruthless, it’s important to recognise he’s taking big strides forward in his game.

If Madueke can just tighten up his end product, he can be a massive player in the Blues XI.

Madueke admitted he was “sloppy” offensively against Southampton, so it’s good to see he’s holding himself to high standards. Let’s see if he’s done enough to start Sunday’s trip to Spurs in the league.