Joao Pedro | Chelsea Player

Yagami said:
I think he's looked great everytime I've seen him for you. Even when he's not scored, his ability to hold the ball up and bring your team into play always impresses me.
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There was period earlier this season, after his hot start, where he was linking up play just fine but he was entirely ineffective as a creator and goal scorer. Just neat tricks and flicks but nothing of substance beyond that.

It's been an entirely different story under Rosenior. He's doing everything we want from a striker every single game now.
 
More direct and faster attack from Rosenior suits him better than a slow build-up with Enzo M.

Also Palmer back and those through balls to him or to someone and then cross to him have been good.
 
He's run hot and cold this season, scored a few early on, then 2 months without a goal, now back to 7 in 9, hopefully he can keep some consistency now.
 
He reminds me a bit of Martial, but with a good work rate on top. Might not ever be a prolific goalscorer because he doesn’t have a real poachers’ instinct, but technically a good finisher and able to get into good positions with a good all round game and combination play. I’m happy with Sesko but I’d have been happy with him too.
 
Ludens the Red said:
Yeah @UsualSuspect im not having him. You can’t bury your head in the sand about him anymore.
He’s just far too passive a player at times. Like for large spells in games he just floats about, not aggressive or assertive enough.

He’s a forward player for Chelsea who barely seems to have authoritative shots on goal during games.

You surely cannot be happy at all with his current output??
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Seeing that someone has everything in their locker to be a world-class forward, them showing it in batches, and then accepting that there are many factors that determine output - that is not burying one's head. Joao needed some positional stability, he needed better players around him (injuries/suspensions/manager selection prevented), and he needed small tweaks to his decision-making as a 9.

There were entire games under Maresca where the closest players to him were Gusto and Cucurella...
 
UsualSuspect said:
Seeing that someone has everything in their locker to be a world-class forward, them showing it in batches, and then accepting that there are many factors that determine output - that is not burying one's head. Joao needed some positional stability, he needed better players around him (injuries/suspensions/manager selection prevented), and he needed small tweaks to his decision-making as a 9.

There were entire games under Maresca where the closest players to him were Gusto and Cucurella...
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He’s turned it around and has hit a great patch of form but there is a reason it’s taken you this long to reply and not at the time of posting.
 
He's excellent, the best striker Chelsea have had for years, since Diego Costa, probably. It's between him and Ekitike for the PL summer striker signing of the season. Solid finisher, good link up play, decent athleticism and heading ability as well. There aren't many flaws in his game.

And he didn't even cost that much money(relative to striker market) - £55m + £5m add ons. After Palmer, best/smartest purchase of Chelsea in the Clearlake era.
 
maeve said:
14 league goals and 7 assists. Maybe he could start for Brazil too?
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What a great signing especially when you consider he didn’t have that much hype attached to him (I think).
 
maeve said:
14 league goals and 7 assists. Maybe he could start for Brazil too?
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Yeah, his underlying stats since coming in have been really good. My Chelsea mates were saying he'd be on much higher figures if it weren't for Maresca who had him isolated and the team playing pedestrian football.
 
I really like him. He's very similar in stature to Ekiteke, tall, athletic, quick, skillful, good touch etc. For both, it's all about developing that proper striker instinct, of making sure they get in the position to score regularly because they can both finish.

A bit Arsenal centric but I like to judge forwards in the league especially on how difficult a game they give our central defenders, and like Isak before him, he always gives our defenders a good game even though he might not score.
 
Great signing and they had a free run at him.

I remember seeing them linked to him and laughing at the fee (£65m?), but I was wrong.
 
The one that got away. I was practically begging for us to sign him this summer. He just has everything you want from a top player, touch, dribbling, passing, hold up play, finishing is patchy but generally reliable. Just a nuisance to play against and always tend to score against us.
 
Probably the forward I enjoy watching most outside of United.

His hold up play against Arsenal really went under the radar. He'd get surrounded by three players, still hold onto it, and still get Chelsea up the pitch consistently.

Looks like he's found another gear too.
 
Ludens the Red said:
He’s turned it around and has hit a great patch of form but there is a reason it’s taken you this long to reply and not at the time of posting.
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Yeah, the reason is that it's nonsensical to keep addressing a take on a player after every few games.

I could care less about the patch. He's taken those great attributes he already had and improved his decision-making. He's in better positions, his runs are timed perfectly. The patch is a just a consequence of this.
 
GoonerBear said:
I really like him. He's very similar in stature to Ekiteke, tall, athletic, quick, skillful, good touch etc. For both, it's all about developing that proper striker instinct, of making sure they get in the position to score regularly because they can both finish.

A bit Arsenal centric but I like to judge forwards in the league especially on how difficult a game they give our central defenders, and like Isak before him, he always gives our defenders a good game even though he might not score.
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Spot on. It's the thing I've kept my eye on the most. His positioning is much improved. He simply wouldn't have been scoring those tap-ins during the first few months.

We haven't had a striker since Drogba who could hurt a team in so many different ways. Even with Costa, he was poor in the air and outside the box. Rosenior just needs to make sure he's well-supported. Delap last night had two wingers wearing blinkers (Neto and Garna) and then Hato and Santos behind him.
 
UsualSuspect said:
Yeah, the reason is that it's nonsensical to keep addressing a take on a player after every few games.

I could care less about the patch. He's taken those great attributes he already had and improved his decision-making. He's in better positions, his runs are timed perfectly. The patch is a just a consequence of this.
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Nah I think the reason is that he was performing poorly at the time and nothing previous suggested he was capable of this kinda run. Not even the fact he wasn’t scoring goals, he was just plain bad.

Let’s just be fair here. I admit i was quick to judge but it wasn’t just based on his time at Chelsea but also Brighton. Never saw him as a penalty box striker with those kinda instincts. And to be honest his all round play has gone up to. Was shocked how he bullied Arsenal defenders and how good he is in the air.

He was being criticised by Chelsea fans too and even Maresca said he wasn’t a 20 goal striker and tried to lower the bar for him.

But yeah if you believed this the whole time (which iirc you did then fair) your patience has been rewarded. Fair:
 
No g/a today but the best player on the pitch by a mile. So beautiful to watch.
 
His excellent close control and good dribbling makes him a useful outlet when his teammates are getting pressed.

He lacks the clinical edge to be a proper number 9 though. How many touches did he want after Enzo backheeled it to him?
 
Lovely player to watch from a technical pov. Should in theory be an excellent false 9 (Firmino like) if Chelsea had highly productive wingers but they don’t (Palmer aside, whose best position might not be wide).
 
Gabriel Djemba-Bebe said:
His excellent close control and good dribbling makes him a useful outlet when his teammates are getting pressed.

He lacks the clinical edge to be a proper number 9 though. How many touches did he want after Enzo backheeled it to him?
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Yeap, he should have strike it instantly, would have been quite a goal
 
He’s a classy player alright. His overall game is up there with the best in Europe. That’s a lower bar these days but he’s quality nonetheless.
 
One of the best in the league at hitting the deck and putting his arms out and looking crestfallen
 
Preseason schmeseason - but still probably better to score 8 goals than it is to not score 8 goals. Still can't believe Carlo took the corpse of Neymar and Brentford's penalty merchant over him
 
As a pure goal scorer Haaland is of course on another level. João Pedro will never put up alien like numbers like that.

But as an all around footballer he is the next best #9 in the league right now and only getting better. He has every finish in his locker. Headers, worldies from outside the box, poachers finishes when sprinting onto through balls. Excellent hold up play and super quick feet for a striker to dribble and turn defenders. Also has the versatility on top of all that to play in multiple different formations.

It’s actually a bit wild how when we first bought him we all thought he wasn’t a natural #9. Now he is maybe our best overall player in that very role. An absolute steal for just £55m.
 
Orc said:
As a pure goal scorer Haaland is of course on another level. João Pedro will never put up alien like numbers like that.

But as an all around footballer he is the next best #9 in the league right now and only getting better. He has every finish in his locker. Headers, worldies from outside the box, poachers finishes when sprinting onto through balls. Excellent hold up play and super quick feet for a striker to dribble and turn defenders. Also has the versatility on top of all that to play in multiple different formations.

It’s actually a bit wild how when we first bought him we all thought he wasn’t a natural #9. Now he is maybe our best overall player in that very role. An absolute steal for just £55m.
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Hard to argue with that really. Seems to always give Saliba a tough game when he played against him, that's what first caught my eye with him..
 
I'd like him to become the next passenger of the Chelsea to Arsenal mini van. Too bad he's under one of those lifetime contract...
 
GoonerBear said:
Hard to argue with that really. Seems to always give Saliba a tough game when he played against him, that's what first caught my eye with him..
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Yeah it's all well and good scoring against mid or lower table sides - but JP convinced me he could be a top level player when he was constantly bothering Saliba and Gabriel in the matches vs Arsenal even if he didn't score. Apart from Haaland I don't think anyone gave them more trouble thanks to his hold-up play, close control, and ability to win fouls
 
TheMagicFoolBus said:
Yeah it's all well and good scoring against mid or lower table sides - but JP convinced me he could be a top level player when he was constantly bothering Saliba and Gabriel in the matches vs Arsenal even if he didn't score. Apart from Haaland I don't think anyone gave them more trouble thanks to his hold-up play, close control, and ability to win fouls
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Yeah, he’s an annoyingly good player.
 
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