2015/2016 WAS A difficult season for everyone associated with Chelsea but, for Pedro, it was especially tough.
He had shunned Manchester United in favour of the reigning Premier League champions. He was looking forward to working with a coach he knew plenty about. He was walking into a successful dressing-room.
And then, within a few months, it all had changed.
“It was about everything, everything just wasn’t right”, he told the Telegraph last month.
We were very low in the league, the spirits were very low, the trust was very low, everything was going wrong. It made it very difficult to be fit, to be in a good position. It was just the whole thing – it wasn’t right.”
By Christmas, Chelsea were three points about the relegation zone and Jose Mourinho – the man who signed him – was gone.
After scoring on his debut, Pedro’s own form dovetailed neatly with Chelsea’s as the chaotic campaign veered out of control.
Under temporary boss Guus Hiddink, things were clawed back slightly but the side still finished in 10th place.
Pedro hit doubles against Newcastle and Aston Villa to rack up a tally of seven league goals but, like his club, it was all quite underwhelming.
This season, however, it’s been very different.
The Spaniard did experience a difficult start as Antonio Conte initially began the season with a four-man defence. But, the change to 3-4-3 has seen Pedro, in particular, blossom.
There was a goal and an assist against Manchester United, a goal and two assists in the hammering of Everton while he netted a sublime curler in the victory over Tottenham too. He found the net again against Bournemouth while there was an FA Cup brace and yet another assist against Peterborough earlier today.
In his last 13 games, he’s contributed six goals and five assists and, while it’s inevitable the likes of Diego Costa and Eden Hazard will get the majority of plaudits, the 29-year-old has been crucial to Chelsea’s excellent campaign so far.
An unsung hero during his time at Barcelona, he’s experiencing something similar at Stamford Bridge.
