Mauricio Pochettino feels Noni Madueke’s recent influence demonstrates that with the correct mentality, any player can flourish at Chelsea.

Noni Madueke had a difficult first half of the season owing to injury, which hampered his efforts to establish momentum and find his form, but the winger has recently showed hints that those troubles may be behind him.

Noni’s brief cameo against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Christmas Eve was followed by a crucial intervention off the bench against Crystal Palace, where he earned and converted the penalty kick that sealed our 2-1 victory.

Following that, he made his first start since October, scoring for the second game in a straight with a superb strike as we won 3-2 away at Luton Town in our last 2023 encounter.

Mauricio Pochettino has been happy with the level of growth Madueke has demonstrated recently, citing the player’s mindset as a vital factor.

‘We have spoken about guys needing to develop, and he is a player who has progressed significantly,’ Pochettino said. ‘I am extremely pleased with his behavior and the way he has committed, both to himself and to the other parts of the club.

‘He has potential and talent, but it will be his future behavior and actions that will help him achieve.

‘It is an example that there is a platform for everyone, then it is about being correct in their thoughts and consistent in the way we advise people conduct,’ says the author.

Pochettino also discussed Ian Maatsen’s prospects of playing in today’s FA Cup third round fixture against Preston North End at Stamford Bridge, which takes place today.

‘He got hurt last week and was unable to workout. ‘It was a back problem,’ explained our head coach.

‘He has returned to training and will be a member of the squad. He will not play right away, but he will be part of the squad.’

Turning his attention back to the encounter, Pochettino acknowledges that the chance to secure European football for next season is an added incentive in the FA Cup, but assures that he and his side are not getting ahead of themselves, instead focusing solely on the next game.

‘I’m not thinking about the season’s finish. We are so intent on evolving the team, improving, and becoming more consistent in our performances and results.

‘Of course, we hope that being focused and producing strong performances would result in qualifying for European competition.

‘However, our goal is to win the FA Cup and not to look too far ahead. In a different competition, we need the guys to be solid.’

The work of constructing an FA Cup run begins later today, when we kick off our campaign against Preston at 5.30pm.