"I believe it's not a matter of effort," Enzo Maresca replied when questioned about Christopher Nkunku's recent absence of goals, assists, and overall contributions for Chelsea before the match.
With five goals in the Conference League, he ranks as the second-highest scorer in the tournament; however, he failed to score in both matches against his first significant opponent, Copenhagen, in the last 16, and once more here, along with no assists and now a missed penalty. Legia Warsaw might have fallen 3-0, but we believe none of those players exited the pitch as disheartened as the Chelsea attacker.
Nineteen goal contributions in slightly over 1900 minutes this season indicates he’s a) had a more than adequate campaign and b) hasn’t been utilized nearly enough by Maresca, but those goals/assists scored against Servette (2), Gent, Panathinaikos, FC Noah (3), Heidenheim, Shamrock Rovers (2), Bournemouth, Southampton (4), Morecambe, and Barrow (3) creates a contrasting view highlighted by the rivals he hasn't successfully scored against.
Appearances against Manchester City, Ipswich, Brighton (2), Aston Villa, Leicester, Arsenal, Brentford, Newcastle, Copenhagen (2), and Legia Warsaw brought no results, which could be justifiable if he was pulling defenses apart, earning free-kicks, and contributing to the buildup like his competitor for the No.9 spot, Nicolas Jackson. However, he simply does not. Games overlook him.
Although Maresca insists that Nkunku is putting in great effort and we don't subscribe to the belief that body language is everything, it's quite difficult to reach any conclusion other than the notion that the Frenchman seems not to care at all about playing for Chelsea when he appears so incredibly unhappy all the time.
The justification comes about 30 minutes into each game he begins following multiple instances of not meeting expectations: He’s not a forward. Maresca expressed this in December and reiterated it in February, and although injuries to Jackson and Marc Guiu somewhat compelled him, continuing to play him in that position now that Jackson is back seems nearly harsh.
It wasn’t Reece James but Tyrique George who capitalized on a powerful shot from the box to put Chelsea ahead, and although Nkunku made a run, Jadon Sancho opted to pass to Noni Madueke for the second, yet the real blow happened in the 74th minute.
By that point, Nkunku had moved into his preferred No.10 position and was noticeably more impactful. His powerful run against the Legia Warsaw defense led to the penalty he was destined to take, aiming to restore confidence that likely hit a career low.
He opted for power instead of accuracy, and naturally, the goalkeeper dove in the correct direction, momentarily celebrating before retrieving the ball from his net half a minute later as Sancho once more set up Madueke to net the third goal of the match. We didn’t see Nkunku among the players sprinting to celebrate a goal that will definitely advance Chelsea to the next round in their easy journey towards an unprecedented European treble, and honestly, we don’t fault him.
The worry for the Chelsea management will be that his transfer value is decreasing with every match he participates in. Reports indicate that they aimed to recover a significant portion of the £55m spent on Nkunku in 2023, but it’s growing tougher to overlook the drawbacks and recognize that There’s A Player Still In There.
There likely is – during his short appearances last season, we believed he was the top finisher in the Chelsea team and the most probable rescuer amid the xG catastrophe – but there’s no future for him now at Stamford Bridge, nor as a No.9 anywhere, as Maresca is aware, despite ruthlessly setting him up for failure.
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