It’s safe to say the Pedro Neto experiment didn’t work
With Joao Pedro currently out injured due to a thigh injury, Xabi Alonso decided to play Pedro Neto as a striker in their 1-0 loss against Sunderland.
But the Portugal international failed to take his chance as the furthest player forward, in what was a rather toothless performance from both himself and the side Xabi Alonso put out on the weekend.
What has been glaring to see during those games without a presence, without an out-and-out striker, is the lack of clear-cut chances that Chelsea have created during those games, and it has shown the importance of Joao Pedro in how Alonso wants to play his football, with Neto's performance on Tyne Side being one of many talking points to come from this weekend's game.
During the season, Xabi Alonso has tried and tested a couple of players in the number nine position, with Morgan Rogers recently playing there against Tottenham in a 2-0 loss at Stamford Bridge on October 24.
Looking at the two games where Alonso has opted to play a false nine, the Blues have created only one big chance, Morgan Rogers' first-half missed header, and otherwise have lacked any creativity, and have not registered a single goal for an attack that has looked to be one of the best in the Premier League this season.
Neto's 23 touches were the lowest of any Chelsea player who wasn't brought on as a substitute, and were only beaten by Sunderland's Brian Brobbey, who had just one touch less than the Portuguese, but that wasn't the only thing that showed Neto's inability to impact the match against Regis le Bris' side.
The winger turned striker had the fewest passes attempted and completed on the Chelsea side, making 10 of his 12 passes during the 62 minutes the ex-Wolves man was on the pitch.
Whilst the current striker options are thin, with Danny Welbeck underperforming when he's been given a chance to lead the line, and with Joao Pedro missing time, as well as offloading Nicolas Jackson, Liam Delap and Marc Guiu in the summer, with the current crop of players that Chelsea have at their disposal, many must have thought that they have better options than Neto.
In the 22 games that Neto has played for Wolves and Chelsea as a striker, he has only scored one goal, making it a pretty poor record for someone of his talent.
Looking at who Chelsea could play as a number nine, Cole Palmer would be a better fit. Although he has a similar number of goals to Neto, the 25-year-old has contributed three assists during his eight games, as Palmer, but those came during the 2023/24 season, so hasn't played there in three seasons, so it could be a bit understandable if he is a bit rusty if thrown into playing that position.
Whilst we don't know when Joao Pedro will return, Alonso might have to experiment after the international break whilst he waits for the Brazilian to get back to full fitness.
