Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images
Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images
Split image - Alex Scott of AFC Bournemouth and Elliot Anderson of Manchester City
Split image - Alex Scott of AFC Bournemouth and Elliot Anderson of Manchester City
Photo by Alexander Canillas/MB Media/Getty Images
Photo by Alexander Canillas/MB Media/Getty Images
Jason Cundy discussing Estevao Willian and Bukayo Saka
Photo by Pedro Salado/Visionhaus/Getty Images
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
Estevao Willian's minutes
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Split image - Chelsea's Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba and Joao Pedro of Chelsea celebrates scoring
Split image - Chelsea's Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba and Joao Pedro of Chelsea celebrates scoring
Had he not missed the 3-0 defeat to Brentford because of injury, that tally may have been even higher. Breaking it down, Pedro has scored five goals and provided three assists.
How would you compare Chelsea's sporting directors to their counterparts at other English clubs? Have they really been that bad? 🤔
Winstanley and Stewart for Chelsea
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
jameslovemore777
Too many below average players. Can't understand their strategy or thinking for that matter. Obviously not learned enough in football terms.
They’ve thrown a million darts at a dartboard and hit the very occasional bullseye - feels like a desperate strategy that just wastes money
Improving, but have certainly made some very silly decisions. But it’s hard to judge how much they are puppeteered by those above them. As a Man Utd fan, at least the players aren’t publicly calling them out 😅
According to WhoScored, Pedro is the highest-rated player in the Premier League this season, even outperforming Manchester City’s Erling Haaland. He will now be hoping that he can outperform Drogba’s 2009/10 campaign.
Back then, Drogba scored 29 goals and provided 10 assists in 32 appearances as Chelsea went on to win the title. The Ivory Coast icon’s tally of 39 goal contributions in a single Premier League campaign is the record at Chelsea.
Pedro is on course to surpass that, and with the help of Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers, maybe it is not impossible. With that being said, it is not something you should bet your house on.
For as good as Pedro is, he is yet to prove that he can be a consistent goalscorer throughout an entire 38-game season. Perhaps this could be the season, but there is no track record to suggest that it is.
The above is understandable. The Brazil international is still fairly young at 25. Consistency will only start to come now.
In seven outings, Pedro has never scored against Everton, so this weekend’s trip to the Hill Dickinson will be a real test for him. Pass it, and he will be one step closer to Drogba’s record. Whatever happens, Xabi Alonso can be pleased with the start Pedro has made to the season.