Maresca must drop Chelsea star who had fewer touches than Sanchez vs Spurs
It was far from a rip-roaring classic at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday evening between Chelsea and Spurs in the Premier League.
But, in the end, Enzo Maresca’s Blues wouldn’t care one bit, as a hard-fought 1-0 win was secured that sees the West Londoners jump into the top four positions temporarily.
Joao Pedro answered back to his critics with the winning strike in the tight clash, with the former Brighton and Hove Albion attacker now out of a ten-game streak of no goals, after placing a fierce first-half effort past a busy Guglielmo Vicario.
Pedro's redemption arc versus Spurs
In pre-season, Pedro looked every bit worth the £60m splashed out on his services in the summer, with goals galore coming his way in the Club World Cup.
However, in the bread and butter of the Premier League this season so far, Pedro has looked shaky, with only three strikes falling into his lap in the top-flight from ten games, before being handed a chance on a plate by a relentless Moises Caicedo against Thomas Frank’s hosts.
He thumped home the resulting chance that did come his way, with the up-and-down Brazilian stating at the full-time whistle when speaking to Sky Sports that he really “needed this goal” to get his personal season back on track.
Hopefully, more and more goals come Pedro’s way in the coming matches, as Chelsea aim to be nearer to runaway Premier League leaders Arsenal when another London-based rivalry is on the menu at the close of November.
While Pedro undoubtedly strengthened his grip on a first-team spot with this decisive winner, there is another Chelsea attacker – at this moment in time – who will sense they’re on uneven ground when it comes to their own concrete position in Maresca’s starting XI.
Chelsea star on borrowed time after Spurs
Alongside splashing the cash on some fresh recruits – such as their brand-new number 20 joining in the summer to up the entertainment levels in attack – Chelsea have also looked towards the next generation coming through in West London to steer the Blues to some captivating wins in recent weeks.
Indeed, both Marc Guiu and Estevao were recently on the scoresheet against Ajax, as the youthful attacking duo aim to be senior regulars down the line.
Guiu will feel knocked by Pedro looking revitalised away at Spurs, but Estevao will feel that he’s even more deserving of first-team minutes down the right flank shortly, when analysing how poor Pedro Neto’s below-par showing was on Saturday.
Neto’s performance in numbers
Stat
Neto
Minutes played
85
Goals scored
0
Assists
0
Touches
45
Shots
3
Accurate passes
20/25 (81%)
Accurate crosses
1/3
Successful dribbles
1/6
Possession lost
18x
Total duels won
2/11
Stats by Sofascore
Neto ended up being replaced by the much-talked-about Brazilian for the final moments, after a dire day at the office saw the former Wolverhampton Wanderers forward only complete one successful dribble from six attempts, while also only registering one accurate cross as a gung-ho option that often lacked the killer pass, to back up his rapid pace.
Moreover, when Neto wasn’t frustrating fans with an overhit cross or giving up the ball entirely – with possession given away a high 18 times – the £54m buy ended up just fading out of the contest entirely, with his tally of 45 touches even being beaten by Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez at the end, who amassed 51 himself on the way to clinching a clean sheet.
Thankfully, Neto’s dire afternoon didn’t cost his team the three points in the end but Maresca would surely fancy giving the likes of Estevao more chances in the first team soon over the hit-and-miss number seven, with the exhilarating 18-year-old already on to three goals and one assist for the season, despite his limited first-team starts.
Neto only has two goals next to his name, on the contrary, with Daniel Sturridge’s comments about Chelsea putting in an “absolutely brilliant” showing against Spurs for the most part still ringing true, even if the direct Portuguese attacker looks to now be on borrowed time in the first team picture.
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