Chelsea\u2019s season has often felt unstable around Jo\u00e3o Pedro. There have been coaching changes, inconsistent results and periods where the squad looked far from complete. <\/strong><\/p>\n Yet through that turbulence, one thing has become increasingly clear: the Brazilian is starting to shape both the attack and the conversation around the club.<\/p>\n Over the past few weeks, Jo\u00e3o Pedro has spoken openly about his role at Chelsea, his ambitions with the national team and the pressure attached to wearing the famous No.9 shirt.<\/p>\n Across multiple interviews in Brazil, with TNT Sports<\/strong> and Lance!<\/strong>the 24-year-old offered perhaps the clearest explanation yet of how he sees himself as a player \u2013 and why his Chelsea move mattered so much to him.<\/p>\n For years, Jo\u00e3o Pedro moved between positions. At Watford he played deeper and often wider. At Brighton he alternated between attacking roles. Chelsea, though, became the place where he decided to fully commit to becoming a centre-forward.<\/p>\n \u201cSince I arrived at Chelsea, I made it very clear because at Watford I played as a No.10, as a No.9. At Brighton too. But since coming here, it\u2019s something I pushed for a lot \u2013 I wanted to play only as a No.9.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n That decision was not about ego or status. Instead, it was about rhythm and development.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you keep changing positions, you lose some of the feeling for the role. Since the start of the season, I\u2019ve been working a lot with Chelsea\u2019s staff, always trying to improve in some aspects.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n That work has paid off.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel better playing as a striker, close to goal. But I\u2019m not that striker who just stands waiting inside the box. I like participating in the game,\u201d<\/em> he said. \u201cI\u2019m a participative No.9. I can build play and score a lot of goals too.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n That description explains why he frequently references players like Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski when discussing his development.<\/p>\n \u201cToday, I really like Kane and Lewandowski. I followed Kane more because of the Premier League and I take a lot of inspiration from him.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n He even admitted to studying Kane closely after facing him.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I played against Kane, I paid a lot of attention to him. We swapped shirts too. He\u2019s a player I admire and I hope to reach his level.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Despite Chelsea\u2019s uneven campaign, Jo\u00e3o Pedro himself believes there is far more to come.<\/p>\n \u201cThis season has been very good for me. Better than I think a lot of people expected because it\u2019s my first season.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n He also admitted adaptation was never guaranteed.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know there\u2019s always an adaptation period, new teammates, a new club.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n That process became even more complicated with Chelsea\u2019s instability during the campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately we\u2019re living through a difficult moment, changing manager, not winning as much,\u201d<\/em> he admitted. \u201cBut I think when Chelsea improve, this can be just the beginning of a very good period to reach the highest level possible.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n That balance also appeared when he was asked about comparisons with Didier Drogba after surpassing the Ivorian\u2019s first-season Chelsea goal tally.<\/p>\n \u201cDrogba is an idol at Chelsea. Some fans joke: \u2018Maybe we found the new Drogba?\u2019 But I try to go my own way, slowly, without thinking too much about that.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Instead, Jo\u00e3o Pedro seems far more focused on long-term progression. That also explains his growing role with Brazil.<\/p>\n The Chelsea forward knows exactly what comes with being Brazil\u2019s number nine. The position still carries enormous expectation. Jo\u00e3o Pedro accepts that pressure exists, but avoids pretending anyone can replicate Ronaldo\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n \u201cI think comparing any player to Ronaldo is impossible.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Still, he does not shy away from the responsibility either.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I can be Brazil\u2019s No.9 at a World Cup, it would be an honour. I would give my life and give my maximum to represent in the best way possible.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Of course, Carlo Ancelotti appears to value Jo\u00e3o Pedro\u2019s ability. The Chelsea player himself admitted the Italian prefers forwards capable of dropping deeper and connecting play.<\/p>\n \u201cToday it\u2019s not really that fixed No.9 anymore. It\u2019s more someone with mobility, someone who drops to play.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Conveniently for Chelsea, that is exactly the profile Jo\u00e3o Pedro has been trying to become all season.<\/p>\n His recent international appearances have been relatively short, including a 23-minute cameo against France in a 2-1 defeat. However, his standing within the squad continues to grow.<\/p>\n One revealing part of Jo\u00e3o Pedro\u2019s recent interviews involved Chelsea\u2019s internal dynamic.<\/p>\n The Brazilian described a dressing room full of international rivalries, jokes and constant World Cup conversations.<\/p>\n Cole Palmer, for example, is already discussing a possible Brazil vs England quarter-final.<\/p>\n \u201cHe goes crazy if I don\u2019t say England are favourites\u201d, he joked. \u201cHe really wants Brazil vs England in the quarter-finals.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Response from Jo\u00e3o Pedro? \u201cI told him: \u2018Careful, huh? Be careful.\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n There were similar stories involving Enzo Fern\u00e1ndez and Argentina. Still, beyond the banter, Jo\u00e3o Pedro repeatedly highlighted the closeness within Chelsea\u2019s squad.<\/p>\n That support system appears especially important for Est\u00eav\u00e3o, who recently suffered an injury setback.<\/p>\n \u201cI already said in other interviews that Est\u00eav\u00e3o impressed me a lot.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The reason was not just technical quality.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen he arrived, I didn\u2019t expect someone his age to already think like he thinks.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Jo\u00e3o Pedro then explained how the entire squad has embraced Est\u00eav\u00e3o.<\/p>\n \u201cI and Andrey try to help him as much as possible. But everyone at Chelsea treats Est\u00eav\u00e3o like a younger brother.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n That included a revealing detail from the day of the injury.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen he got injured, I stayed next to him in the dressing room for the whole first half, talking to him\u201d<\/em>he revealed. \u201cEnzo, Pedro Neto, Cucurella, Caicedo\u2026 everyone tries to support him.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Moments like that help explain why Jo\u00e3o Pedro\u2019s influence at Chelsea now goes beyond goals.<\/p>\n Despite his strong campaign, Jo\u00e3o Pedro admitted he still demands much more from himself.<\/p>\n \u201cI put a lot of pressure on myself. Not only with Brazil, but also at my club.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Apparently, his teammates do the same.<\/p>\n \u201cReece James, when I go one match without scoring, already says the next one has to come.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The striker is still waiting for his first Brazil goal, and he admitted the near-miss against Croatia still sticks in his mind.<\/p>\n \u201cI had one chance against Croatia, but the goalkeeper made a great save\u201d<\/em>he said. \u201cBut it\u2019s only a matter of time.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n He also offered an interesting insight into which defenders caused him the most problems this season.<\/p>\n \u201cPacho from PSG was difficult. Tah from Bayern. And Gabriel Magalh\u00e3es\u201d<\/em>he stated before highlighting: \u201cBut I gave him problems too!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n There was also time to revisit perhaps his most spectacular Chelsea moment so far \u2013 the overhead kick that immediately spread across social media.<\/p>\n \u201cIt happened out of nowhere. I thought very quickly. In football there\u2019s no time to think. It just came out.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The World Cup remains in the background of everything. \u201cThat\u2019s every player\u2019s dream\u201d, <\/em>he said.<\/p>\n Jo\u00e3o Pedro admitted there is anxiety around Carlo Ancelotti\u2019s final squad list, even among players who already feel close to secure.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone has that anxiety because we know how big the World Cup is for Brazil.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Still, he is trying not to obsess over it.<\/p>\n \u201cI try to focus on my work at the club because that gives me the best chance of being in the final squad.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n And perhaps most importantly for Chelsea, Jo\u00e3o Pedro now sounds like a player fully convinced he belongs at this level.<\/p>\n \n <\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Chelsea\u2019s season has often felt unstable around Jo\u00e3o Pedro. There have been coaching changes, inconsistent…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8268,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8267","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8267","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8267"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8267\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8268"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Redefined as a \u2018nine\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Why Chelsea may finally have clarity<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Handling Brazil\u2019s pressure<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Inside Chelsea\u2019s dressing room<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Goals, pressure and battles<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What happens next<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Chelsea](\"https:\/\/cdn.sportwitness.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/joaopedro2.jpg\")