Enzo Maresca has delivered a stunning vote of confidence in Chelsea striker Joao Pedro, placing the Brazilian firmly in the elite conversation alongside goal-scoring titans like Kylian Mbappe, Robert Lewandowski, and Erling Haaland – despite the forward’s ongoing drought.
The Brazil international’s last Chelsea goal came in August’s victory over Fulham, nearly two months ago. Since then, Pedro has featured in eight matches – starting seven – managing just one assist amid fitness concerns previously highlighted by Maresca.
Yet the Italian boss remains unflinchingly positive. “Joao is not a problem at all,” Maresca declared in Tuesday’s press conference. “He is going to score goals for us, give us assists.”
Diving deeper, Maresca emphasized Pedro’s unique profile: “Joao Pedro is not a number nine who is going to score 20 goals a season. He is a fantastic player, but he is a different type of number nine (from those) that score 20 or 25 goals each year, like (Robert) Lewandowski, (Kylian) Mbappe, and (Erling) Haaland. This is a different kind of number nine.”
“For sure, the physical part is important,” he added. “When you are not 100 per cent, it is difficult to compete in this league.”
Chelsea’s attack shows no signs of crisis, jointly topping the Premier League with 17 goals scored this season. Maresca expects distributed scoring from his front line: “We said many times that the five players at the front, we need six, seven, eight, nine, ten goals each, in the way we have done last season.”
Adding firepower, Liam Delap – sidelined for the past two months – is confirmed fit for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup clash at Wolves, easing the burden on Pedro and bolstering the Blues’ options.