As Chelsea enters the most important stage of the season, the form of striker Joao Pedro is bringing hope that the 2025-2026 season can become a memorable campaign for the London team.
Before the FA Cup match with Wrexham last weekend, coach Liam Rosenior did not hesitate to praise the Brazilian striker, calling him a world-class striker.
Joao Pedro entered the field from the bench when the score was 2-2 and the match entered extra time. Not only scoring the decisive goal to help Chelsea win 4-2 and win a ticket to the quarter-finals, he also continuously caused difficulties for the opponent's defense with speed, technique and intelligent movement.
That was his 11th goal in 13 appearances in all competitions since Rosenior took over the team. This achievement helped Joao Pedro become one of the strikers with the best scoring performance in the Premier League in the past 2 months.
It is noteworthy that none of those goals came from penalties - something that once made him criticized in the past.
Honestly, I will not exchange Joao Pedro for anyone at this time, because he is showing all the qualities that I want to see in a number 9 striker" - the Chelsea captain said.
Rosenior's praise last week accurately reflects what many Chelsea fans are thinking about the Brazilian striker after his impressive performances.
Rosenior also deserves to be recognized for exploiting Joao Pedro's potential in the center forward role well. Although still using the 4-2-3-1 formation like his predecessor Maresca, Rosenior let Joao Pedro play in the number 9 position more often. Under the English strategist, the 24-year-old striker played in the center forward position for 88% of the time, compared to 68% under Maresca.
This change helps Joao Pedro appear more in the attacking area. On average, he has more than 1.8 touches per 90 minutes in the last 1/3 of the field compared to the previous period.
The new role also changes the way Joao Pedro moves. According to data from Opta Vision in the Premier League this season, the Brazilian striker performs fewer short runs back to receive the ball. Under Rosenior, he only performed twice in 8 matches (0.3 times per 90 minutes), significantly lower than 0.7 times per 90 minutes under Maresca.
Conversely, Joao Pedro moved more into dangerous areas. His number of runs into the back of the opponent's defense increased to 9.1 times per 90 minutes, compared to 7.8 times before.
He also frequently became a target for crosses from both wings. The number of times he moved into the penalty area to receive the ball increased from 3.7 times to 4.2 times per 90 minutes.
These changes turned Joao Pedro from a player who connects the playing style to someone who directly finishes The Blues' attacks. His average number of shots has increased sharply. Under Rosenior, Joao Pedro launched 2.9 shots per 90 minutes, compared to 1.6 shots under Maresca.
The percentage of attacks he participated in just as a finisher also increased from 40.4% to 68.2%. Joao Pedro's chances quality also improved. His expected goal difference (xG) per shot increased from 0.21 to 0.23. However, the most important factor helping his goals increase is still his higher finishing frequency.
