Steve Sidwell shares what he’s heard about Joao Pedro and Chelsea fans will be delighted

Saturday saw Pedro score one goal and lay on an assist. He’s done exactly that in three of Chelsea’s four Premier League games this season, taking him to a tally of three goals and three assists this season.

That form saw him pick up the August Premier League Player of the Month award, ahead of teammates Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers. It comes after missing out on Brazil’s World Cup squad in the summer.

Steve Sidwell believes World Cup heartbreak has focused Pedro

Pedro enjoyed a wonderful first season at Chelsea, winning the Player of the Season award. But in fairness to Liam Rosenior, the one thing he did get right at Chelsea was getting the best out of the Brazilian.

That form has continued, and if not improved, under the guidance of Alonso. Speaking on Sky Sports, ex-Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell believes Carlo Ancelotti’s snub is now being used as fuel by the striker.

“It’s his mindset,” Sidwell said when asked how Chelsea are getting the best out of Pedro. “With the World Cup and what happened in the summer with that; deeply hurt. He’s had a reset over the summer.

“A bit of a break, off-season training. From what I’ve heard, he’s been absolutely on it in pre-season training. Testament to him, because certain players can go in certain ways. He can be devastating.

“The link-up between him, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers – he’s been a real focal point, his work rate off the ball. It’s still a work in progress for Chelsea, but going forward, they are marvellous,” Sidwell said.

Playing with an injury and Carlo Ancelotti’s u-turn

Pedro has starred for Chelsea ever since joining the club from Brighton, and linking up with Chelsea while they were at the Club World Cup. But Enzo Maresca got it all wrong with Pedro; he didn’t understand him.

There is the famous quote from Maresca: that Pedro will never be a 20-goal-a-season striker. He is a player who links up play rather than being the poacher in the box. Obviously, Pedro is proving him wrong.

In fact, Pedro’s ability to lay on assists and still score at a 20-goal-a-season rate – if not better – proves he can do both. The start of the season saw Pedro play with an injury, but now he’s getting better and better.

So much so that Ancelotti has admitted his mistake and called up Pedro for Brazil’s fixtures against India and Australia during the September and October break. Pedro gets the chance to prove Ancelotti wrong.

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