EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Rare is the day a player earns a first start for their new team in the semifinal of a competition despite being under contract with an entirely different club during the group stage, but leave it to the new-look Club World Cup to shoehorn a new quirk into the structured soccer calendar. Even rarer, though, is for that player to leave a tangible mark in those circumstances, and while an oddity afforded Joao Pedro the chance to do such a thing, his brace in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Fluminense on Tuesday was a first glimpse at his quality in a Chelsea shirt.
Joao Pedro wasted little time making an impact in the match, scoring in the 16th minute to give the Blues the lead. He was in the right place at the right time when a deflection meant the ball landed at his feet, taking a few touches before hitting a curling shot from the edge of the area that sailed into the top right corner of the net. Somehow, his second goal in the 56th minute was more impressive – he made a lengthy run into the box, beating one defender before finding a sliver of space and sending the ball into the back of the net. It was undoubtedly an impressive first start for him at Chelsea, one that puts him one game away from his first title with his new club.
Chelsea signed the 23-year-old exactly for moments like this, with manager Enzo Maresca explaining pre-match that he views Joao Pedro as someone who can play across the front line and could be one of the “four, five players scoring 10, 12 goals each [rather] than just one striker [who can] score 40 goals.” It is perhaps the most logical way to explain the Blues’ transfer strategy, since they literally have 20 attackers on the roster right now. Maresca’s desire to have goals from multiple sources is practical, maybe even downright necessary as they spend next season in the UEFA Champions League. Even if they offload a few, though, Chelsea’s current situation means there will be incredible competition for playing time over the course of the next season – and Joao Pedro is wasting no time rising to the top of the pack.
“We knew how [good] Joao is, in terms of [the] player,” Maresca said post-match. “The reason why we brought him is because this season, we faced many teams with [a] low block and this quality is very good against this kind of team and then as a person, first of all, he is from Brazil so most of the Brazilian players, they are very happy. They enjoy with the football.”
While his versatility has been one of his trademarks, Tuesday’s outing allowed him to demonstrate the style that makes him an entertaining watch. His two goals showcased his range, too, between a slick flick of the ball for the first and a riveting and clinical dash down the pitch that started the play for the second goal. It was a batch of skills that would make him useful for any team, especially a youthful Chelsea side that believes they are in the process of building Europe’s next best team.
It is a remarkable showing for a player who was posting workout videos from Rio de Janeiro on Instagram on the day Chelsea kicked off their Club World Cup run nearly 5,000 miles away in Atlanta, where they notched a 2-0 win over LAFC. While Joao Pedro’s newness to the squad is the latest strange occurrence in a Club World Cup defined by them, Maresca admitted there was one advantage to the situation.
“I think another thing that is important about Joao is that he was on holiday, so probably is a bit more fresh compared to the rest,” the manager said. “So it’s something that is probably also important to be aware of that, so happy for Joao.”
He has settled in well thanks to the help of his teammates, per fellow Brazilian Andrey Santos, and has so far leaned on the natural quality that earned him a move to Chelsea.
“I think that my teammates [are] helping a lot,” Santos said. “He’s amazing, he’s smart, so I think that this is important. He [is] training hard every day, so I think it is important, and today, he showed the quality.”
Tuesday’s performance, though, was just as much about the new signing’s skill as it was circumstance. He may become a starter at Chelsea in no time, but the fact that he started against Fluminense, his former club, is the direct result of a suspension for fellow newcomer Liam Delap and injuries elsewhere. How exactly Maresca will strike the balance in his inflated squad is one of the main points of intrigue in Sunday’s final, no matter who the opposition are – the chance to win a trophy usually forces a manager to make a call on what is truly their best team, at least for the time being.
Joao Pedro, too, will need to actually build a body of work to prove that he is able to justify a transfer fee to Brighton and Hove Albion of around $75 million. Maresca may plan for a 10-goal season at a minimum for someone like him, and though he delivered just that for Brighton last season, five of them were penalties and his expected goals tally per 90 is lesser than two people already on Chelsea’s books – Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke, the latter of whom is likely on his way out. Whether or not he can maximize his talents with the Blues – and if the inexperienced Maresca can actually get the best out of him – is the big question, but in what appears to be a game of musical chairs to be Chelsea’s next great goalscorer, Joao Pedro is very much still an active participant.
“This is exactly the way he showed [Tuesday],” Maresca said. “Doesn’t mean he’s going to be all season like this because it’s not going to happen but it’s good to have him and also as an option.”