Estêvão Willian was not the only Brazilian attacker to offer a tantalising glimpse of the future during Chelsea’s win against Palmeiras in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup. There was also a bright cameo from João Pedro, who came on for Liam Delap just after Estêvão’s equaliser early in the second half and proceeded to change the game with his brawn and intelligent link-up play.
It was an eye-catching performance from the forward given that his £60m move to Chelsea had been announced two days earlier. What had the 23‑year‑old been doing during his time off? Lifting logs and existing on a diet of raw steak, presumably. The aggression from João Pedro was startling. He was raring to go after a couple of training sessions with his new teammates and, while he was not involved in the winning goal, his bustling forward play was a vital part of Chelsea reasserting their dominance after Palmeiras pulled the score back to 1-1.
“Even if he was on holiday, he looks sharp, he looks good,” Enzo Maresca said. João Pedro, who was wanted by Newcastle before Chelsea came in for him, did not slack off while waiting for Brighton to sell him. He stayed in shape after going to Rio de Janeiro on holiday.
“I was in Brazil with my friends but I have a personal trainer and I trained, so I was ready,” João Pedro said on Monday. “Imagine if I didn’t train and Chelsea called me to come – then it would be more difficult for me. I made my debut and I think I showed I am ready. In Brazil the Club World Cup is very important because normally the teams there don’t play teams from Europe. I will always take this tournament seriously.”
Such dedication from João Pedro meant Nicolas Jackson was shoved to the margins against Palmeiras. It is possible to read too much into one substitution. Equally it is possible that Maresca’s decision to introduce the newcomer instead of Jackson offered clues about the new hierarchy in Chelsea’s attack. There was already a new contender for a starting role up front after the arrival of Delap from Ipswich for £30m. The 22-year-old has been sharp in the US. He has started the past four games, scoring once, and seems to have moved above Jackson in the pecking order.
With Delap serving a one-game ban after picking up his second booking of the tournament against Palmeiras it is not clear who starts in Tuesday’s semi-final against Fluminense. The pressure on Jackson is rising. Suspended for two games after a reckless red card against Flamengo during the group stage, the Senegal striker watched Delap impress in his absence. More worrying for Jackson, though, is that he was back in the squad against Palmeiras and overlooked when Maresca took Delap off.
Jackson has a lot to prove given that he was also sent off for elbowing Newcastle’s Sven Botman at the end of last season and will still be out when the Premier League campaign starts. The 24-year-old is a handful but immaturity blights his game. A sale cannot be ruled out if Chelsea receive a good offer. They need to generate funds after being fined by Uefa for breaching financial rules.
It makes João Pedro’s instant involvement feel significant. He was signed for his versatility and is a team player. His goal return at Brighton was no more than acceptable – 30 in 70 games – but he was respected for his pressing and link-up play.
It goes back to João Pedro’s spell as a youth player at Fluminense, who switched him from defensive to attacking midfield. Watford brought him to England in 2019 and sold him to Brighton three years later. He will be eager to face his former club. Fluminense have the oldest team at the Club World Cup. Fábio, their goalkeeper, is 44. Thiago Silva, the former Chelsea centre-back, is 40.
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Silva spoke fondly of Chelsea here. The veteran may look to exploit his old side’s youth, though. Perhaps Silva will try to get a rise out of Jackson or João Pedro. It is worth noting that Jackson is not the only Chelsea striker with a history of disciplinary issues. Delap puts himself about and picked up 13 yellow cards in all competitions last season. As for João Pedro, he saw red for violent conduct against Brentford in April and could have been sent off against the same opponents after an attempted elbow on Yehor Yarmolyuk last December.
Competitive edge? Maybe, but there was also an altercation with the Brighton centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke in training, which led to João Pedro missing the final game of last season. “The people who know me know my character,” João Pedro said. “But when two players want to win, these things happen.”
Maresca needs that aggression to be channelled in the right way. Having three talented young forwards could be seen as a form of insurance policy if they keep getting suspended on rotation but the reality is that Delap, Jackson and João Pedro will not be helping themselves or Chelsea if they keep falling foul of referees.
It is Delap’s turn to sit this one out and watch someone take his place. João Pedro and Jackson will be desperate to put themselves forward before the final on Sunday.
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