Chelsea’s Joao Pedro says helping team matters more than goals
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LONDON – Chelsea striker Joao Pedro was relieved to end his goal drought but not overly concerned about his numbers, insisting that team success is his priority after netting the winner in the 1-0 English Premier League win at Tottenham Hotspur on Nov 1.
Chelsea took the lead when Moises Caicedo stole the ball from Micky van de Ven on the edge of the Spurs penalty box and the combative Ecuadorian squared for Pedro, who made no mistake from eight metres in the 34th minute.
The 24-year-old Brazilian had chances to add to his goal tally but was thwarted three times by Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who also denied Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho.
“I needed this goal because it had been a long time I didn’t score and the team expect that from me,” Pedro said.
“I always want to help the team with goals and assists, but first I need to play well. If I play well, the goals are going to come. The important thing is just to win games, and I am very chill about the goals.”
Pedro, who last scored in August, said he was focused on contributing to Chelsea’s collective play rather than chasing personal milestones.
“In my position, if you don’t shoot you get frustrated. But you need to not look just at yourself, you need to see if the others can get a chance,” he said.
“If I don’t shoot, I am going to create space for the others... I play for the team. If we just win, I am happy. Of course I want to score, but sometimes it’s not going to happen.”
Meanwhile, Spurs manager Thomas Frank downplayed an awkward post-match scene where defenders van de Ven and Djed Spence headed straight down the tunnel, as frustrated fans booed the team off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Dane sought to calm tensions as supporters vented their frustration at the final whistle, before van de Ven and Spence appeared to ignore Frank’s request to acknowledge the fans and headed straight down the tunnel.
“I think that is one of the small issues. We have Micky and Djed who are doing everything they can,” Frank said.
“They perform very well so far this season and everyone is frustrated. We do things in a different way, so I don’t think it is a big problem.”
The manager remained on the pitch, applauding the crowd to a mixed reaction. Spurs have won only one of five home games in the Premier League this season under Frank.
Both fourth-placed Spurs and fifth-placed Chelsea have 17 points ahead of fixtures on Nov 2. REUTERS
