Carlo Ancelotti made the bold decision to not take Chelsea’s Joao Pedro with him to the World Cup, and it already looks as if he may regret that in this tournament.
Brazil got their World Cup underway with a 1-1 draw against Morocco, before they face Scotland and Haiti later in the group stages.
There are zero Chelsea representatives in the Brazil squad this summer, with Pedro and Andrey Santos dropped, and Estevao Willian injured.
PREDICTION: Which Chelsea player do you think will have the BEST World Cup?👀
Mamadou Sarr is being slept on…
Brazil struggle at World Cup without Chelsea’s Joao Pedro
Without them, the five-time world champions laboured for much of their opening game, and Pedro’s direct replacement in the side struggled to impress.
Brentford’s Igor Thiago was called up in place of Pedro, and was given the nod to start up front against Morocco.
However, he struggled to make a genuine impact on the game, and missed a gilt-edged chance to find the net when he completely misjudged a Vinicius Jr cross.
Thiago has emerged on Chelsea’s radar, although will not have seen his stock rise following his performance on Saturday night.
Brazil are clearly looking to build around wingers Vinicius Jr and Raphinha, and it was the former who produced a moment of magic to level the game originally.
Realistically, how much is Liam Delap worth?🤔
It feels like there would be very few strikers in world football who you would rather have bringing other attackers into play than Pedro, whose tireless performances up front have frequently benefitted his teammates.
Brazil’s loss is Chelsea’s gain though, as he will be one of the key players who has been handed a full rest over the summer to prepare for next season.
Pedro is reportedly one of Xabi Alonso’s untouchables upon his arrival at the club, and he will be in for a full pre-season to get on board with the new manager’s ideas ahead of a new era at Stamford Bridge.
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