Is Pedro Proving To Be A Good Match For Chelsea?

When Chelsea beat Manchester United to the £21 million signing of Barcelona forward Pedro, the London club believed that they had secured a major coup. After all, the coveted forward is at the peak of his powers and had the distinction of having being involved in more league goals for Barcelona (93) than everyone except Lionel Messi since the 2009/10 season.

Given that Manchester United also responded by signing the relatively unheralded French forward Anthony Martial from Monaco, it was thought that the Blues had out-thought their Northern rivals and stolen a march in the title race.

How has Pedro Settled in at Chelsea?

Pedro’s debut raised expectations even further, as the forward scored once and laid on another during the 3-2 win at West Bromwich Albion. Since then he has flattered to deceive, however, failing to score in any of his subsequent four matches and struggling to link with Eden Hazard and Diego Costa. While he has hardly been helped by Chelsea’s lacklustre form and failure to win all but two of their first seven league matches, the increasing anonymity of Pedro is concerning Blues’ fans.

In contrast, Anthony Martial has hit the ground running at Old Trafford. With four goals and an assist in just four starts, he has showcased incredible pace, balance and composure in front of goal, while also operating intelligently as a target man and highlighting maturity beyond his years. At present it certainly looks as though United got the better end of the deal, especially when you consider the youthful age of Martial and the fact that Van Gaal never seemed completed sold on Pedro.

Is Pedro proving to be a Good Match for the Blues?

The EPL is a hot-bed of hysteria and sensationalism, and just as Pedro’s debut was lauded as spectacular his subsequent lack of form has triggered a huge media reaction. The truth is that Pedro is simply adapting the frenetic pace and physical nature of the Premier League, however, which takes some time when you consider that he has played in La Liga since his late teens.

In time, we can expect him to showcase his worth and add an elusive dimension to Chelsea’s attack. With intuitive movement, excellent dribbling skills and a superb eye for goal, Pedro may yet prove the decisive fact in a young and burgeoning title race.