Ahead of a favourable midweek cup-tie with a struggling Wolves, Enzo Maresca was asked about Joao Pedro’s recent goal drought.
The next round of Carabao Cup action sees Chelsea travel to Wolves on Wednesday night.
Ahead of that fixture, Maresca was asked about the drop in form from his new Brazilian striker. It’s now seven games without a goal or an assist. Not only that, but Pedro has failed to register a shot on target over that span.
Maresca recently revealed that Pedro is struggling with fitness, but after another blank against Sunderland, questions about his form are flying at the Chelsea boss.
Enzo Maresca shares his thoughts on Joao Pedro’s drought
The drought has earned Pedro criticism from Brazilian media, as well as from pundits domestically.
But if Delap hadn’t gone down with an injury early in the season, we likely would not be seeing the Brazilian leading the line. His game is better suited to playing in the pockets, dropping in and linking up play.
This is also Maresca’s stance, as Football London reports. He says: “Joao is not a problem at all, he is going to score goals for us, give us assists.
“Joao Pedro is not a No.9 who is going to score 20 goals a season. He is a fantastic player, but he is a different type of No.9 than the ones who score 20 or 25 goals each year, like Lewandowski, Mbappe and Haaland.”
Andrey Santos and Joao Pedro celebrate after Chelsea beat Paris Saint-Germain to win the Club World Cup.
Photo by Image Photo Agency/Getty Images
The point Maresca makes is valid, in that Pedro is a different type of forward to those Ballon d’Or contenders, but it might be more encouraging not to see a limit being placed on the heights the manager thinks he can reach.
Joao Pedro should be able to score 20 goals
It makes sense that Maresca wants to deflect the criticism coming at Pedro as of late. Managing expectations puts less pressure on a player.
But his claim that Pedro is not a 20-goal kind of attacker is questionable.
Sure, there are other aspects to his game that are significant strengths, but he’s no slouch as a finisher, either. His output over the summer and in the opening weeks are testament to that.
You don’t need to be a line-leading striker to reach those kinds of numbers. Just look at the likes of Bryan Mbeumo, Mo Salah, and even Chelsea’s own Cole Palmer.
These guys are output monsters from wider or deeper roles, and Pedro’s talent and potential for improvement suggest he can be that productive. Maresca should raise the bar of what he expects from Chelsea’s new star.