Former Manchester City player Micah Richards has claimed Enzo Maresca is using Joao Pedro in the wrong position.
Chelsea signed Pedro in the summer from Brighton in a deal worth up to £60m, and the Brazil international was one of five attacking signings made.
Pedro has the hit ground running and made an instant impact scoring three goals in three games at the Club World Cup, including one in the final against PSG.
Micah Richards claims Joao Pedro is being played in wrong position
He carried that form into the Premier League and has two goals and three assists in the first eight league matches.
However, following an injury to Liam Delap, Pedro has been deployed as the main striker, and has been a passenger in some of Chelsea’s recent games.
The introduction of Marc Guiu at half time against Nottingham Forest saw the Brazilian drop into the number ten, which made a difference to his performance.
Maresca believes Pedro can play as both a nine and ten, but Richards has stated he doesn’t believe the 24-year-old is a striker.
“They’ve signed [Liam] Delap, they need Delap back, because Pedro, and you did the analysis last week, didn’t you? He’s a number 10, isn’t he, Pedro? He’s not a number nine,” he told The Rest Is Football.
“And I just feel like Chelsea, to go to the next level, they just need someone who can stick the ball in the back of the net at any time. And then they will be a real threat. I love the balance of the team.”
Liam Delap to return next week
Whilst Pedro has struggled in recent weeks, Chelsea have been boosted by the news Liam Delap could return next week.
Delap has been out since August with a hamstring injury, but Maresca confirmed he trained for the first time on Thursday and could feature in next week’s Carabao Cup tie against Wolves.
The England under-21 international has been a big miss, and it appears he’ll be fit for some crucial games coming up in November.
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