Chelsea forward João Pedro has been in poor form recently, contributing only 3 goals (goals + assists) in his last 15 matches. camel.live published a column discussing the Brazilian international’s current situation at the Blues.
Here is the column content:As Delap limped off the pitch clutching his injured shoulder against Bournemouth, with Guiu coming on as his replacement, the camera inevitably panned to João Pedro sitting on the Chelsea bench wrapped in a down jacket.
As Saturday’s 0-0 draw dragged on, Palmer was substituted as planned in the 58th minute. João Pedro took his place, tasked with breaking down Bournemouth’s resilient defense in the remaining 30-odd minutes.
However, the Brazilian’s subsequent performance was just the latest in a series of ineffective displays.
Maresca and Chelsea will not panic, but they have every reason to be concerned about João Pedro’s recent form. He drifted away from key areas on the pitch and had almost no impact on the game’s progress. In contrast, even though the 19-year-old Guiu failed to break the deadlock, he at least held the ball well and fought fiercely with Bournemouth’s defenders. João Pedro’s performance in this regard was far inferior.
It all started so promisingly. After meeting Chelsea scout Sam Jewell – who had known João Pedro during his time at Brighton – in Rio de Janeiro, Pedro agreed to cut short his summer break and join Chelsea for £60 million midway through the Club World Cup.
He scored twice in the semi-finals against his former club Fluminense and another goal in the final, helping the Blues beat Paris Saint-Germain to win the world championship.
It was a stunning start to his Chelsea career, and he followed it up with 2 goals and 2 assists in the first three Premier League games of the season, convincing Chelsea fans that the club’s blockbuster summer signing was absolutely worth the money.
However, his subsequent obvious slump and struggling performances have poured cold water on the optimism. Since scoring against Fulham in Chelsea’s third league game of the season, Pedro has only scored 2 goals and provided 1 assist in 15 appearances for Chelsea. He has also failed to find the net in his last three games for Brazil.
Nevertheless, Delap’s shoulder injury is likely to keep him out for several weeks, meaning Maresca has no choice but to continue trusting Pedro.
Although Maresca has been quite candid in saying that the team will miss Delap, a target man No.9, now that he is injured again. The implication is that Pedro is a different type of striker, not a bustling forward like Doku and Guiu. While there is some truth to this, it is increasingly difficult to see Pedro’s own unique strengths.
Over the past month, since scoring against Wolves – who were managerless and bottom of the league at the time – the Brazilian has been almost invisible. His 30-minute substitute appearance against Bournemouth was a microcosm of his recent poor form: he struggled to link up effectively with teammates in the final third, failed to hold the ball when dropping deep to receive passes, and did not register a single shot throughout the game.
This season, he has averaged just 1.75 shots per game, the lowest among regular starting forwards in the Premier League this season. In contrast, Jackson averaged 3.08 shots per game last season.
Pedro’s natural instinct is to drop deep to receive the ball, participate in midfield build-up, and then turn past opponents. Even during this slump, his excellent close control and ability to turn past defenders remain major strengths. But his versatility sometimes gives the impression that the 24-year-old can do a bit of everything, but not excel at anything.
Delap’s injury and Palmer’s return to fitness to play in his preferred No.10 role mean that Pedro will spend most of his playing time as a striker in the coming weeks, yet his performances in this position this season have been underwhelming.
Only in the game against Tottenham Hotspur on November 1st, as a more agile and less physical striker than Delap, did he show the qualities Chelsea need. In other games, even when deployed as a striker, he has performed like a No.10. He seems to be confused about how to fulfill the role of a forward.
Maresca will still occasionally let Guiu replace Delap directly, but Pedro is a £60 million signing for Chelsea and should be getting more regular goalscoring opportunities.
Even though he has been playing through injury for parts of this season, he knows he must step up. If he fails to rediscover his goalscoring touch, he risks falling behind Nottingham Forest’s Jesus or Tottenham’s Richarlison in the race for Brazil’s No.9 spot at next summer’s World Cup.
