Joao Pedro is convinced Chelsea's lethal attacking trio will prove impossible for Premier League defenses to contain this season.
Chelsea's front three of Pedro, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer all found the net in their opening victory at Fulham, delivering an emphatic statement of intent to their rivals. With major silverware firmly in their crosshairs under new manager Xabi Alonso, Chelsea may well possess the league's most formidable attacking unit.
The Brazilian international believes their fluid movement, telepathic understanding, and clinical finishing will make them "very special" and exceptionally hard to neutralize.
- Wayne Rooney urges Man United to sign Arsenal star and sends Marcus Rashford warning
- Chelsea preparing for fresh Enzo Fernandez bid from Manchester City as deadline nears
He said, via The Mirror: "Cole and Morgan are special players. Everyone knows that. I'm very grateful to play with them because I know if I make some runs, if you know Cole, Morgan's going to give the ball to me and I have to be ready to score. So it's very special.
"I think now in the game, if we move a lot, it will be difficult for defenders to pick up one player to stay. And the manager let us be free on the pitch, so we understand each other well. I think this helps us, and hopefully, it can happen more times.
"When you play for Chelsea, you always need to look for that (the biggest trophies), and I think we've already had a great game to show our power and hopefully we can continue like this in the season."
Chelsea manager Alonso clearly has a turbocharged attacking trio at his disposal, given that Pedro and Palmer both enjoyed a full summer rest after missing out on Brazil's and England's squads, respectively. Meanwhile, Rogers, the club's £117 million ($156.5 million) British record signing, appears reinvigorated following England's World Cup semi-final run.
Numerous pundits have tipped the Blues as potential title rivals to reigning champions Arsenal, with an elite head coach at the helm and, crucially, no European commitments to contend with, affording the squad additional training time and recovery periods.
To listen to the latest episode of 'All Out Soccer' - CLICK HERE
Pedro believes Rogers will prove to be a major signing for the squad, while the players are equally excited about the prospect of developing under Alonso's guidance. He said: "The summer was very good because I didn't go to Brazil squad in the World Cup, so I had a time to recover myself, relax a bit, to be ready.
"I think we need to go step by step. We have to focus on the Premier League and the cups. We have a lot of time to train as well to know what the coach wants from us. I think everyone wants to be at Chelsea. It's a big club. It's a pleasure to play here, and I'm very happy here. I will enjoy this season with Morgan because I think we can achieve high.
"I know Morgan from a long time ago because we played against each other. So when he joined the club, I knew. It was very good for us because he's a very good player, and I think he can help us like he has already."
Pedro has also taken on the No. 9 shirt this season, which carries significant weight for Chelsea supporters who have witnessed numerous high-profile players struggle while wearing it.
Mateja Kezman, Hernan Crespo, Fernando Torres, Radamel Falcao, Alvaro Morata, Gonzalo Higuain, Tammy Abraham, Romelu Lukaku, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Liam Delap have all donned the jersey and failed to live up to expectations.
-Credit:Nigel French/Allstar, Getty ImagesYet Pedro shows no sign of being rattled by the shirt's troubled history, embracing the opportunity to rack up goals this campaign after a promising start. He added: "I just try to do my job. I don't believe in that. Every player is different. I think now I know my responsibility in the group, but I don't think numbers can decide this pressure.
"I just try to enjoy and try to help my team every game. Any day of the season, see what I get. I think I just try to score every opportunity I have."
Leave a Comment