Momentum has swung back in Chelsea’s favour in the last couple of weeks and Wayne Rooney has paid tribute to one man playing a key part in the switch – striker, Joao Pedro.
After setting fire to four points against Leeds and Burnley before a frustrating defeat at The Emirates, Chelsea have managed to turn things around. The 4-1 win at Aston Villa was an enormous result.
It kept Chelsea’s top-five hopes alive. Then, Chelsea had to avoid the banana skin of Wrexham in the FA Cup to reach the quarter finals and did so, drawing League One side Port Vale in the last eight last night.
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It gives Chelsea a massive chance to reach Wembley and possibly, silverware. On Wednesday night, the focus is on the Champions League, and Rooney thinks a key part of this Chelsea revival is Pedro’s form.
Wayne Rooney delivers verdict on Chelsea’s Joao Pedro
Under Enzo Maresca, Joao Pedro was a solid signing for Chelsea. But under Liam Rosenior, Pedro has taken his form to a whole new level. So far, 13 appearances, 11 goals, five assists. Incredible numbers.
Speaking to his BBC podcast, Wayne Rooney says Pedro is now the Premier League’s most in-form player after his hat-trick against Aston Villa. It comes after Ben Foster picked him over Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike.
Aston Villa v Chelsea - Premier League
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
“I think he’s just settling into his position, isn’t he? And, you know, he came on [against Wrexham], he was outstanding, I thought. He was taking the ball, he was calm, always seemed to have time on the ball.
“Then he scores a great goal. And yeah, I think we’ve always seen, obviously, before Brighton, he’s a good player. But I think there’s just a consistency in now, over the last few weeks, playing in the right position.
“Scoring goals, obviously, has given him confidence. So yeah, I think he probably is the most in-form forward in the league for me,” Rooney said about Pedro, having watched him in person against Wrexham.
Joao Pedro reveals the secret behind his Chelsea form
Chelsea are set to travel to Paris to take on Luis Enrique’s side on Wednesday night and if the Blues are to get a decent result they can bring back to West London, they will need their best players to be on fire.
Joao Pedro is the BEST signing of the Todd Boehly era 💵
At £60m, he seems to be a bit of a bargain!
Pedro is certainly that, at the moment. Speaking to European media about his stunning form, he put it down to Rosenior. He says conversations with Rosenior and honest feedback has got the best out of him.
“He told me that he already knew who I was and wanted to help me develop. That’s something I like to hear from a coach because without that feedback, it’s easy to become complacent,” Pedro said this week.
Pedro will be hoping to build on his brace against Napoli in his last Champions League outing, as the Blues eye a place in the quarter-finals. A place that will earn Chelsea another £10.8m in prize money.
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