Chelsea sign Pedro: How Spaniard will redefine Jose Mourinho's attack

Chelsea’s signing of Pedro has finally satiated their fans’ demands for a big name transfer this season. That they (supposedly) nabbed him from right under Manchester United’s noses has added more excitement to the purchase — but that’s just a bonus fact. This is a move that will not only enable Jose Mourinho to sneer at Louis van Gaal, but will add a different dimension to the champions’ attack, which has looked meek in the first two games of the Premier League.

Pedro is a mature player — 28 years old — and with plenty of experience. He’s won everything there is to win in world football — league titles, cups, the Champions League (thrice), the European Championship and the World Cup. This is a player who has competed with the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar for a place: he will hardly break a sweat when he sees who he is competing against at Chelsea for a spot — Willian and Juan Cuadrado.

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Eden Hazard looks burdened under the pressure of being Chelsea’s most creative force. His performances against Swansea and Manchester City have not amazed. Cesc Fabregas has failed to impress in a more advanced role he craves. The same goes for Oscar, and Willian.

It’s amazing that more than 40 percent of Chelsea’s moves came from the left in all three games this season: 43 percent against Arsenal in the Community Shield (only 29 percent from the right) and 40 and 41 percent against Swansea and City in the Premier League (33 and 31 percent from the right). This clearly shows their one dimensional approach for goals.

Chelsea’s play against Arsenal in the Community Shield, which they lost 0-1.

Chelsea’s play against Swansea in the Premier League opener, which they drew 2-2.

Chelsea’s play against Manchester City in the Premier League’s second game, which they lost 0-3.

Ramires and Willian have shared duties from the right in these games but were reduced to trackers in the inside channel: most notably because of Fabregas’ inability to drop. So it’s safe to assume that Pedro will be deployed on the right and finally add balance to a one-sided squad.

Analysts have hailed Luis Suarez’s effect at Barcelona — not just by scoring goals, but by unshackling Messi. Pedro will not quite unshackle Hazard, but he will share the creative responsibility with him. Teams will no longer be able to freeze the Belgian out to keep Chelsea at bay, because the other wing will be almost as strong with Pedro marauding the right.

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From the Spaniard’s goals in the last five seasons – 74 in 261 matches – 54 have come from the penalty area which means he loves drifting in. But only 15 have come from the six-yard box, which means he’s not your tap-in expert. Pedro is famed for beating his markers and getting into channels and dangerous areas. This also opens spaces for other attackers. 48 goals have been scored with his right foot and 23 with his left (also, two headers and one ‘other’). All this points to a dynamic trait we’ve witnessed from him all the time.

He also fits into Mourinho’s liking for a hard-working midfielder too. A surprising (and revealing) statistic from last season shows that he is defensively stronger than Willian (infographic below). This includes his duels, tackles, interceptions and clearances. Ramires is the best of the three players we’ve compared, with a defensive score of 0.13. Pedro has 0.07 and Willian is in negative (-0.07).

Pedro vs Willian vs Ramires

Pedro’s possession score is quite high, but that can be attributed to Barcelona’s playing style too. In overall attack score, he is 0.80 points behind Willian. These are small numbers but matter in the long run — they also show that Mourinho is not getting someone who will shirk his defensive duties.

That Willian and Ramires have both failed to cover Branislav Ivanovic this season has been evident. Ivanovic will mostly be dropped against West Brom this weekend with Cesar Azpilicueta playing his natural right back position and new signing Baba Rahman on the left. Pedro may not go straight into the starting XI, but Mourinho won’t think twice before putting him straight into the mix against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.

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Chelsea’s strongest playing XI

All infographics and statistics courtesy Squawka.com and Whoscored.com

The writer tweets @TheFalseNo9