Chelsea's
own players demanded they sort out their form after embarrassing losses to
Manchester City and Bournemouth, Pedro has revealed.
Maurizio Sarri was said to have only a few games to save his job after the
sorry Blues were beaten 6-0 at Manchester City less than a fortnight after
Bournemouth put four past them. A limp 2-0 FA Cup exit to Manchester United
did little to help matters.
But since then, a narrow Carabao Cup final penalty shoot-out defeat and two
London derby wins over Tottenham and Fulham have restored some of the
optimism around Stamford Bridge - and the Blues could find themselves ahead
of Arsenal and Manchester United in the top four if they win their game in
hand against Brighton.
Wolves are Sunday's visitors to Stamford Bridge and will hope to derail that
bid for Champions League qualification live on Sky Sports, but Pedro said he
and his team-mates have ensured the Blues are only looking up after their
dismal run of form.
Speaking about his reaction after the heavy losses to Manchester City and
Bournemouth, he told Sky Sports: "We said 'this is enough'. I spoke during
the week about the situation [with my team-mates], but now we're all
focusing on reaching the top four.
"It's the most important thing for us until the end, to try to win every
game. They're all finals because it's so important to get points, try to win
every game and if not, it's going to be so difficult to qualify."
Despite Chelsea's up-and-down form, Pedro himself has enjoyed his most
productive season to date in England, netting eight times in 16 Premier
League starts, and threatening to reach double figures for the first time
since 2014.
Pedro's league record
| Season |
Club |
Games |
Goals |
| 2018/19 |
Chelsea |
23 |
8 |
| 2017/18 |
Chelsea |
31 |
4 |
| 2016/17 |
Chelsea |
35 |
9 |
| 2015/16 |
Chelsea |
29 |
7 |
| 2014/15 |
Barcelona |
35 |
6 |
| 2013/14 |
Barcelona |
37 |
15 |
| 2012/13 |
Barcelona |
28 |
7 |
| 2011/12 |
Barcelona |
29 |
5 |
| 2010/11 |
Barcelona |
33 |
13 |
| 2009/10 |
Barcelona |
34 |
12 |
| 2008/09 |
Barcelona |
6 |
0 |
| 2007/08 |
Barcelona |
2 |
0 |
He said: "It's probably the best form I've been in. Maurizio is very clear
with his ideas and that's good for me because I run, press high and recover
the ball. I stay close to the target to score goals and help my team -
that's good.
"I speak with him a lot about my role on the pitch and I'm comfortable
playing high, and I like it."
Will his form be enough to keep the 31-year-old at Stamford Bridge beyond
his current contract in 2020, should Chelsea look to extend his stay?
"I've always said I'm happy here with my team-mates," he said. "I am happy
with them, the supporters, the city, it's good - but you never know."
top