Since Arsenal thumped them in September Chelsea have went on to win their next five Premier League fixtures and doing so without conceding a goal.

They trounced Everton this weekend 5-0 and at the end of Saturday night the London side topped the league table.

Antonio Conte deserves a lot of credit for his teams upturn in fortune.

The Italian coach would have lost plenty of sleep after his side lost big to the Gunners and he decided to go to a back three, a system that he had used previously at Juventus and with Italy. David Luiz and Gary Cahill look extremely comfortable in a three man defence and it’s the base to their now mean defence.

Another huge reason for the vibrant Chelsea revival has been the form of both Diego Costa and Eden Hazard. Both underperformed for much of last season but they’ve been brilliant lately and no team can withstand their pressure when they’re firing on all cylinders.

But I’d also like to mention the impact that Pedro has had in recent weeks.

The Spaniard’s signing in 2015 was much heralded as the Blues beat Man United to the World Cup winner’s signature.

But as Chelsea struggled during his debut season, Pedro never looked a perfect fit within the side.

During the summer he was linked with a move back Barcelona but in the end a move never materialised.

With Conte coming in, Pedro had a chance to kick-start his Chelsea career but as the manager was trying to find his ideal starting line-up the Spanish forward was often starting on the bench.

But after the loss to Arsenal it seemed that Conte was starting again wth a clean-slate. That along with Willian dealing with his fathers death gave Pedro a chance to get back in the starting eleven.

To be fair to him, he has taken that chance with both hands.

He has started in the last four Premier League games and contributed with four assists and two goals including one against former suitors Man Utd.

Pedro doesn’t instantly catch the eye but if you watch what he does you’ll be impressed. Every pass and run seems to mean something for the team, he’s smart and he works hard for his teammates. That work ethic will impress Conte.

Against Everton he rounded off the scoring but it was his neat back-heel pass assist for Hazard’s second strike that really stood-out.

At the moment his performances are making it almost impossible for Conte to drop him and Pedro seems to be thriving knowing that he can’t take a night off.

It looks like Pedro has finally arrived at Chelsea and more than just a bit part player!

 

Posted on November 6th, 2016 by scott
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