'What's going on!' - Enzo Maresca warned that £60m Chelsea star has 'dropped off'

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca (Picture: Getty)

Former Chelsea midfielder Emmanuel Petit is concerned by the form of Joao Pedro and said the striker has ‘dropped off’ after his bright start to life at the club.

Joao Pedro, who signed for £60million from Brighton in the summer, made a fast start at his new club, scoring three goals in his first three games to help Chelsea win the Club World Cup in the Unites States.

Indeed, the Brazilian international also started brightly in the Premier League , scoring three and assisting one in his first four games of the season.

Joao Pedro, however, soon found the burden of goalscoring responsibility placed firmly on his shoulders after Nicolas Jackson left for Bayern Munich and Liam Delap picked up an injury in the first few weeks of the season.

And the 24-year-old’s goal return has dried up noticeably in the following months, with the striker scoring only twice in his last 12 appearances in all competitions.

Chelsea’s impressive win over Barcelona saw Maresca opt to deploy Pedro Neto as a central striker, with both Delap and Joao Pedro resigned to watching from the bench.

And former Blues midfielder Petit admitted it is hard not to be concerned about Joao Pedro’s form after what had initially been such a bright start as Chelsea’s new No9.

Joao Pedro has struggled in front of goal in recent months (Picture: Getty)

‘The striker curse might have got to Joao Pedro at Chelsea,’ Petit told Snabbare . ‘It’s weird. There are two ‘curses’ at this club, the goalkeeper position and the number nine.

‘Honestly, I was very impressed with him when he started at the Club World Cup, and then he did it again when he came back during the summer. But week after week, he has been dropping off.

‘Look at the game in midweek against Barcelona. Pedro Neto was playing striker, and they have three strikers. They have three strikers, and none of them started against Barcelona.

Joao Pedro and Delap have scored four league goals between them this season (Picture: Getty)

‘I looked at the game, I looked at the team sheet, and I looked at the players on the bench and I thought, what? There are three strikers on the bench? No one started the game?

‘What’s going on? If I remember right, all of them were bought last season at the end of the season, and no one is playing in top games?’

Petit suggested that Chelsea’s depth in attacking areas might actually be affecting Pedro, with Maresca’s constant chopping and changing not allowing the striker to settle into a rhythm in the starting lineup.

Joao Pedro and Enzo Maresca (Picture: Getty)

‘What I can say about it is when you put too much competition to earn your place, it sometimes becomes very difficult for the players,’ he added. ‘We come back to the pressure Estevao will receive from his manager after his comments.

‘It’s the same situation that the strikers are living under for years now at Chelsea. You don’t perform well, you go on the bench. Next, you don’t perform well, you go on the bench too. It’s like this all the time.

‘I think confidence has been dropping for some players. Injuries as well. Liam Delap, for example, has been injured. He just came back. If Delap was not injured, I’m pretty sure he would probably be the first choice for Maresca.

‘I think Joao Pedro needs to understand that when you’re a striker, you’re judged on your stats. If you don’t score, it doesn’t matter.

‘We don’t care what they do on the pitch until they score. That’s their mission. Their number one mission is to put the ball into the net.

‘If you don’t do that, and this is the problem at Chelsea, when they start the game, they don’t score goals. The following game, they’re on the bench. Confidence drops, and this is a circle’