Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil survived an early World Cup exit at the hands of Japan, however are starting to really regret not having Chelsea’s Joao Pedro in their squad.
Despite Pedro, Estevao Willian and Andrey Santos all featuring regularly for their nation since joining the Blues, they are not at the World Cup for a variety of different reasons.
Estevao’s hamstring injury ruled him out of the tournament, although Pedro was simply unselected due to Ancelotti feeling he has better options at his disposal.
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Brazil are missing Chelsea’s Joao Pedro at the World Cup
They won 2-1 against Japan in their Round of 32 clash, however relied on a last-minute goal to get them through as they struggled to break down their opponents.
Matheus Cunha has been the man chosen to lead the line for Brazil, although he was subbed off early after not making an impact against Japan.
What was most damning from Ancelotti is that he didn’t believe either of Igor Thiago or Neymar were suitable to come off the bench to make an impact on the game.
The duo are believed to be the two who made the final World Cup squad instead of Pedro, and this leaves Brazil in a damning position for the rest of the tournament.
If Cunha, who has spent most of the season playing off a striker rather than as a number nine, isn’t delivering, the manager doesn’t have another option he can trust.
He is missing a player who registered 29 goal involvements in all competitions last season, and excelled in bringing teammates into play.
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With the ability of Vinicius Jr, Brazil could really do with someone bringing the best out of him, and Pedro would have been perfect for that role.
The positive news for Chelsea is that they will now have their striker available for the entire pre-season, allowing him more time to work with Xabi Alonso when he signs in on July 1.
It remains to be seen if he will remain an outright striker under the new manager, or whether he will feature in other areas across the attack next season.
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