ANALYSIS: Do Chelsea Need to be Worried About Joao Pedro’s Drop in Form?
Joao Pedro’s recent dip in form has raised questions for Chelsea as the forward struggles to replicate his early-season impact. We take a closer look at whether his downturn should be a real concern for the Blues moving forward.
Pedro walked off a Brazilian beach and into Chelsea’s starting eleven during their triumphant FIFA Club World Cup campaign, scoring three goals in his three appearances as Enzo Maresca’s side ended up with the trophy.
The 24-year-old carried that impressive form into Chelsea’s opening three Premier League games, providing four goal contributions, but is now yet to score or assist in their last six games across all competitions.
So, should Chelsea be worried about his drop in form?
Chelsea didn’t sign Pedro to play him as a striker, he was meant to play a little further behind a more traditional number nine in Liam Delap, linking play, dropping deep to create chances, and providing an aerial threat.
Delap’s Hamstring injury, picked up in the 2-0 win over Fulham, has completely shifted the way Enzo Maresca has been able to use the Brazilian, and Pedro simply doesn’t have the deadly instincts needed to be effective in his new position.
An xG of 1.57 would suggest Pedro isn’t getting into the right positions, and the fact he’s not much of a shooter, with his two Premier League goals coming from 11 shots, just three of which have been on target would support that theory.
It’s not entirely his fault, however. Chelsea’s poor discipline has somewhat skewed the numbers, when Robert Sanchez was sent off after five minutes in the 2-1 defeat to Man United, Maresca decided to make wholesale changes.
The Italian brought off Pedro Neto and Estevao in order to try and shore up the defence, with Cole Palmer coming off a little later due to his ongoing groin injury, and the same could be said for the 3-1 loss to Brighton.
Trevoh Chalobah saw red in the 53rd minute against Fabian Hurzeler’s side, and Maresca once again sacrificed two more attacking players, Andrey Santos and Estevao, within ten minutes of his sending off. Pedro has regularly been starved of service due to circumstances outside of his control.
His passing stats paint a clearer picture of the player he is. Most notable is the three assists Pedro has so far provided for his teammates, but he’s also created the most big chances with four, completing 164 passes across his eight league games.
In Pedro’s best games, the 5-1 win over West Ham and the 2-0 victory vs Fulham, he played as more of a number ten, naturally coming deeper to claim the ball, while in more recent times being more of a focal point.
Pedro also loves popping up in wide areas, in fact his versatility is likely the main reason Cheslea were so willing to spend 360 million to sign him from Brighton, using his strong dribbling ability and fantastic first touch to drive forward.
He’s also very hard working. Pedro has won 17 aerial duels, 45 ground duels, and possession in the final third five times. It doesn’t end there, the forward has also made 16 recoveries, three interceptions, and five tackles.
There are few forwards that are willing to do the dirty work quite like Pedro.
It sounds simple but play a striker. Delap won’t return for another month or so, but Chelsea do have another striker currently at the club in Marc Guiu, who they recalled from Sunderland following the Nicolas Jackson saga.
Guiu came off the bench at half time in the win over Forest with the score at 0-0, and all of a sudden, the game opened up. The Spaniard wasn’t remarkable, but his presence gave the Forest defenders something different to think about.
Don’t believe us? Here is the Premier League’s all-time top goal scorer Alan Shearer explaining how the game shifted.
“Not only did he bring Gittens and Caicedo on to bring a bit of solidity, he brought Guiu on,” he told BBC Match of the Day
“You can see the difference now. Pedro is now predominantly playing in the ten, Guiu’s the centre forward, he’s running in behind, and all of a sudden, it changes.
“They’re now playing on the front foot, they’re now getting chances in the final third, Guiu’s coming short, but he’s also asking questions in behind.
“It’s such a clever run, he doesn’t get it first time, but you can see again, look where he ends up, again making it difficult for the Forest defence.”
Chelsea shouldn’t be overly concerned about Pedro’s recent lack of goals or assists, at least not yet. Most of the factors behind his struggles have been beyond his control. If he were missing clear chances and showing signs of lost confidence, that would be a different matter.
