Opinion

Here’s why Malo Gusto is completely wrong after naming Pedro Neto as Chelsea’s hardest working player

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Malo Gusto has made quite a big statement about his Chelsea teammate Pedro Neto.

Despite being part of a squad that also boasts the likes of Moises Caicedo and Marc Cucurella, Gusto has claimed that Neto is actually the hardest working player at Chelsea.

@canalplussport

🇫🇷 Malo Gusto nous donne les caractéristiques de ses coéquipiers à Chelsea ! Les Blues se déplacent à Tottenham ce samedi à 18H30 sur C+FOOT ! #premierleague

♬ son original – CANAL+ SPORT

It is true that the wide man does show plenty of energy on the flank, always tracking back to support his full-back.

However, there are several players at Stamford Bridge who do more running than Neto, including Caicedo.

Chelsea duo Pedro Neto and Malo Gusto shaking hands
Photo by Image Photo Agency/Getty Images

Moises Caicedo covers more ground than Pedro Neto

With Cole Palmer still out injured, Caicedo is Chelsea’s man of the moment and not just because he provided the assist for his side’s winner against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.

The midfielder continues to work extremely hard on the pitch, even harder than Neto, according to statistics.

When it comes to distance covered per 90 this season, Caicedo just edges his Chelsea teammate.

Given his industriousness on the pitch, that will not surprise Chelsea supporters, despite Gusto’s claim. However, what is a bit of a shock is the fact that the Ecuadorian has scored two more goals than Neto.

PlayerAppearancesGoalsAssistsDistance per 90
Moises Caicedo14414.7km
Pedro Neto14224.6km
Distance per 90 via FotMob

Chelsea fans will be expecting a bit more from an attacker who cost the club more than £50m.

Heading into their most recent London derby, Neto had never scored against Tottenham so would have been desperate to find the back of the net.

Unfortunately, the Portugal international was unable to, adding more pressure on him amid calls for Estevao Willian to start.

As for Caicedo, you cannot ask for much more, especially if he can replicate his performance against Tottenham in future games.

On top of recording an assist, the former Brighton & Hove Albion man also made seven recoveries and won four ground duels, as per Sofascore. Neto made five recoveries and won two ground duels, in contrast.

It was that tenacity that saw Caicedo make two tackles before passing the ball to Joao Pedro for his decisive goal.

Chelsea duo Moises Caicedo and Pedro Neto shaking hands
Photo by Martín Fonseca/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

Who else is covering more ground than Pedro Neto at Chelsea?

For as hard as Neto works each game, Caicedo is not the only Chelsea player running more than the former Wolverhampton Wanderers star.

According to FotMob, Cucurella, Josh Acheampong and Trevoh Chalobah are just a few more names in Chelsea’s squad who are covering more kilometres per 90 minutes.

Nevertheless, Enzo Maresca will still be happy with the leg work that Neto does on the wing. Rather, what he needs from his attacker is more goals.