Arsenal
Aston Villa
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Everton
Fulham
Leeds United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Sunderland
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United
Wolverhampton Wanderers
News
Chelsea fans have two complaints about Joao Pedro after 2-0 Club World Cup win over Fluminense, despite stunning goals
Joao Pedro was handed his full Chelsea debut by Enzo Maresca against Fluminense as the Blues booked their spot in the FIFA Club World Cup final.
It was quite the stage for the Brazil international to make his first start for Chelsea – following a £60m move from Brighton last week.
Not only did it come in the semi-final of the FIFA Club World Cup, but it also came against the side where the South American learned his trade, having joined Fluminense at the age of ten in 2011 before leaving for Watford in 2020.
It took Joao Pedro just 18 minutes to mark his full debut with a goal – a stunning strike at that – and he added another in the second half, but Chelsea fans still had some complaints about the Brazilian.
Chelsea fans tell Joao Pedro “enough with the flicks” and send Cole Palmer message
The 23-year-old seemed overly keen to impress on his full debut for Chelsea.
Pedro was guilty of squandering possession on several occasions – ten times to be exact, according to SofaScore – mainly with attempted flicks which failed to find a teammate, while fans also pointed out that there was a distinct lack of cohesion with Cole Palmer.
However, that is to be expected from a man who has only spent days with his new teammates.
One Chelsea supporter moaned: “Joao Pedro, enough with the flicks. Leave that for (Nicolas) Jackson. Just score us the goals.”
Another echoed this point, adding: “Joao Pedro, those flicks have to come off.”
Then, Palmer became involved in the conversation, with a third fan writing: “There’s a lack of understanding between Palmer and Joao Pedro that needs sorting out sharply.”
Others contributed to the complaints, posting on X (previously known as Twitter) that a connection between the England international and the Brazilian “seems to be far” off.
Another blamed Palmer for “not picking” up the flicks from Pedro – who Brighton fans questioned for his attitude.
Ultimately, these fans need to get realistic.
Pedro only officially became a Chelsea player six days ago, and has barely trained with the likes of Palmer, so an understanding between the pair will obviously take time to develop.
How Fluminense fans reacted after Joao Pedro netted remarkable opener
It was a full circle moment for Pedro – who Newcastle wanted – as he scored his first goal for Chelsea against his boyhood club.
The 23-year-old could not bring himself to celebrate as a result of his love for the Brazilian giants, and Fluminense fans respected that decision from their academy graduate.
Fluminense supporters could be seen applauding Pedro as he held his hands up in apology after opening the scoring, with a goal that left Pedro Neto bewildered – the Portugal international put both hands to his head in disbelief.
Despite the lack of connection with Palmer – which will come with time – Chelsea appear to have a diamond on their hands in Pedro, who could not have dreamed of a better full debut.