Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso watches on
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Chelsea have sent warning to all their staff after Joao Pedro incident
Joao Pedro of Chelsea
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Chelsea were once again without Joao Pedro at the weekend, and his absence was undoubtedly felt.
The Blues lost 1-0 to Sunderland and had no focal point up front. Pedro Neto was used as a false 9, but it became very evident early in the game that the Portuguese was a winger being shoehorned into the role.
Pedro also missed the 2-0 win over Manchester United and 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. The 25-year-old’s injury has been public knowledge for a while now, but it is very interesting how it first came out.
We have graded some of Xabi Alonso's key roles at Chelsea so far. What grade would you give him and why?
You kidding right lacroix ok but wellbeck is an old man he’s not even playing him he needs time to get his players in to play his system fofana gusto need to go we need depth as well in several positions
I think B for transfers is generous. Lacroix & Palestra haven’t been great. D for substitutions is spot on too. I’m still confident he’ll get it right though
3 windows!? We just signed Lacroix & Welbeck to fix those issues 🤦♂️
Chelsea warn staff over leaking team news through Fantasy Premier League
Before Chelsea’s loss to Tottenham last month, more than one Fantasy Premier League content creator claimed to have seen proof of Morgan Rogers and several members of Chelsea staff removing Pedro from their fantasy teams before the FPL deadline.
According to BBC Sport, Chelsea have since sent an email to their staff warning them about accidentally leaking team news through FPL. Pedro’s injury has been a blow for both Chelsea and FPL players.
READ MORE:Chelsea legend’s son has even better conversion rate than Joao Pedro after scoring vs West Ham
Before his injury, Pedro was the second-highest scoring forward behind Manchester City’s Erling Haaland with 47 points. The Brazil international has scored five goals and provided three assists in six outings this season, contributing to that total.
The sooner he is back, the better for FPL players, but more importantly, for Xabi Alonso. Despite signing Danny Welbeck in the summer, the Spaniard has just not found a way to replace the injured Pedro.
Alonso has also tried Rogers up front, but that has not worked either. If Alonso does not trust Welbeck or Emmanuel Emegha, which appears to be the case, Chelsea may need to sign a new striker in January.
Ironically, on the same weekend Chelsea struggled up front, former strikers Liam Delap and Nicolas Jackson both managed to score. How Alonso could have done with either at the Stadium of Light.