Chelsea’s Brazilian striker Joao Pedro is “very hungry” after his Fifa World Cup snub, with a quick-fire hat-trick in the team’s opening pre-season game impressing new manager Xabi Alonso.
The 24-year-old was snapped up from Brighton a year ago and scored 20 goals across all competitions in his first season at Stamford Bridge to be named player of the season by club supporters. But his penalty-box prowess was not enough to book a spot in Brazil’s World Cup squad.
Alonso said that Pedro, who bagged a nine-minute hat-trick as a second-half substitute in Chelsea’s 6-4 win over Western Sydney Wanderers on Tuesday, had been fired up in training.
“He’s very hungry – Joao is really, really determined to have a great season,” said Alonso.
“After a great last year where he scored many goals, I think that he wants to keep scoring more and more. But we need to help him, as on his own it’s not possible.
“He will have the players around him and they need to have this hunger to score as well. It’s not just about the striker, but every time that we win and our striker scores, I am happy.”
Chelsea are reportedly looking to offload some forwards after the arrival of attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa, but Joao Pedro will almost certainly not be one of them.
He said he felt liberated playing under former Liverpool star Alonso, who is tasked with getting Chelsea back to the top after their disappointing 10th-place finish last season.
“He’s a very open coach. We talk a lot. I feel free,” said the Brazilian, who began his career at Fluminense.
“When I play up front I move a lot, so he gives that option to me. Sometimes I can play on the left, sometimes in the middle. So that’s what I’ve learned from him.
“I want to achieve the highest level possible with the team,” he added. “I always want to try to score to help my team and hopefully next season can be better than last season.”
While Joao Pedro excelled, fellow striker Liam Delap looked stiff up front and struggled to create chances in a youthful team before being replaced after 60 minutes.
Delap has been linked with a move to Everton, but Alonso insisted he was “doing well”.
“I see him in a good mood, in a good desire to get proper fitness, proper football, feeling good, and he’s doing well,” he said of the England youth international.
Despite some defensive frailties and early season rust, Alonso said his first match in the Chelsea dugout was encouraging with no injuries of note.
“The more situations we have where we are struggling and we find the solutions, the better team we will be. So, for that, this friendly will be useful,” he said.
Chelsea’s pre-season tour continues with a friendly against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in Sydney on Saturday before matches in Hong Kong, Indonesia and Malaysia. | AFP
