Enzo Maresca shared his thoughts on a pair of starting attackers for Chelsea.
Joao Pedro had been a revelation as a central forward in the Club World Cup with a brace for **Fluminense**and a crowning strike against Paris Saint-Germain in the final. However, it has been visible that he shines more as a second striker, struggling against the back fives of Crystal Palace and Sunderland. Quiet in the 2-1 loss to the Black Cats, his fitness has also become a greater problem.
There were also words from the head coach about Pedro Neto, a wide man who faces his old club **Wolves**as the Blues go after a place in the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
“For sure the physical part is important. When you are not 100%, it's difficult to compete, especially in this league. But I think Joao is not a problem at all. He's going to score goals with us. He's going to give us assists, knowing that Joao Pedro is not a No.9 that is going to score 20 goals each year.
*“It's not Joao, he's a fantastic player, he's going to score goals for us, he's going to give us assists. But it's a different kind of nine, like this kind of nine that they score 20-25 goals each year like Robert Lewandowski, Kylian Mbappé or Erling Haaland. This is a different kind of No.9.”*
“We said many times that the five players at the front, we need six, seven, eight, nine, ten goals each, in the way we have done last season.
“Pedro is top, he's very humble, working hard, he's a very important player for us and we are very happy with Pedro. He's exactly the same as other players, he needs to be always 100%, because in the moment that you drop a little bit, mentally or physically, in this league, it's complicated.”