Joao Pedro is rightly receiving widespread praise after his wonderful performance sent Chelsea through to the Club World Cup final.
Chelsea will now get ready to play either Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain in Sunday’s final after a 2-0 win against Fluminense in yesterday’s semi-final showdown.
The Blues have eliminated a couple of Brazilian clubs en route to the final, but they’ll face one of Europe’s powerhouses this weekend for the trophy.
Joao Pedro, 23, is the talk of Stamford Bridge after the summer signing marked his first-ever Chelsea start with two stunning goals against Fluminense. Afterwards, Thiago Silva even described Pedro as “special” because of his heroics in the semi-final tie.
Jody Morris loves Joao Pedro’s energy
Jody Morris, the former Chelsea player and coach, really liked what he saw from Pedro in the Club World Cup semi-finals. In fact, he highlighted the Brazilian forward’s work rate as something that went under the radar because of his eye-catching goals.
He said via X: “What a first start for Joao Pedro… Forget his two top goals…thought his all-round game was very good…great work rate.”
Chelsea fans raved about Pedro’s technical brilliance when he made his club debut off the bench against Palmeiras in the quarter-finals last week. Well, he’s followed it up by showing them his goal threat with two thunderous finishes.
As mentioned above, Pedro also possesses a superb work rate and hunger in his game.
| Minutes played | Goals | Total shots | Clearances | Defensive actions | Fouls committed | Recoveries | Duels won | Match rating |
| 60 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8.7 |
The early signs are that he will compete with Nicolas Jackson and Liam Delap to play as the main No.9. However, the big positive is that he’s got the skillset to cover multiple attacking positions, which will delight head coach Enzo Maresca.
Chelsea’s plan with Pedro is to use him as a striker as well as an option on the left wing, so let’s wait and see how things progress next season.
Callum Wilson delivers glowing verdict on Joao Pedro
Callum Wilson, who’s now a free agent after leaving Newcastle United this summer, is working as a pundit during the Club World Cup tournament.
After the Blues won their semi-final tie in convincing fashion, Wilson highlighted Pedro for some massive praise. He thinks the 23-year-old forward seized his huge opportunity during his first start at a new club.
During DAZN‘s coverage of Chelsea against Fluminense, Wilson said: “It was a fantastic performance. Like last game, we saw signs of it. It was just about getting the opportunity today. He’s repaid the manager today. [Liam] Delap and [Nicolas] Jackson kind of opened the door for him really getting suspensions. Today he’s managed to get himself a first start.”
It would be a major shock if Pedro doesn’t lead the line for Chelsea in the upcoming Club World Cup final.
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