Despite struggles in the Premier League, Mykhailo Mudryk shines in Chelsea’s Europa League win over Panathinaikos
Chelsea’s Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk has been a topic of concern for the Blues faithful, with his lack of goal contributions in the Premier League. The 23-year-old has managed just nine goal contributions in the league since joining the club for a staggering £90m.
However, Mudryk’s form has led to a limited role in the Premier League, with him playing only 82 minutes of league football this season. Despite this, he was given an opportunity to start against Panathinaikos in the Europa League and made the most of it, scoring his first goal of the season and assisting two more in a thumping 4-1 win.
Chelsea’s new manager, Enzo Maresca, has been working with Mudryk and other wingers to improve their ability to get into goal-scoring positions. “I’m very happy but not for me, for him,” Maresca said. “We as a staff spend a long time helping the players, not only Misha but the whole squad, and since we started we have been working with all the wingers so that they arrive inside the box and into the position where Misha scored.”
Mudryk’s display against Panathinaikos was one of his best in Chelsea colours, and his ability to get into the box and score goals has been a key aspect of his game. Maresca emphasized the importance of wingers arriving in these areas, citing the example of Jadon Sancho, Noni Madueke, and Pedro Neto, who all need to be in position to score goals.
Chelsea’s other goals came from Joao Felix, who has now scored eight goals in all competitions this season, and Christopher Nkunku, who has struggled to find regular minutes in the Premier League due to the form of Nicolas Jackson.
Mudryk and Nkunku will both hope that their displays can earn them starts in Chelsea’s upcoming Premier League match against Newcastle United on Sunday. As for Maresca, he will be hoping that his team can build on this momentum and turn their form around in the league.
