The sky is blue, the grass is green, and Chelsea endeavour to get themselves another red card.
It was Joao Pedro’s turn to get himself sent off against Benfica in the Champions League on Tuesday night, but fortunately, it was late enough in the game to have no real impact.
Before the Brazilian was given his marching orders, the Conference League champions were fighting to hold onto their 1-0 lead, and while it wasn’t a vintage performance, that is just what they did.
With that said, there were a few players who struggled to make an impact, including one who was massively outshone by Pedro Neto and should be dropped for the weekend.
Neto's impressive game vs Benfica
In the build-up to the game, former Chelsea manager, and arguably the greatest in the club’s history, José Mourinho, described Neto as “one of the best wingers in the world.”
While such praise is probably a little over the top, the former Wolverhampton Wanderers star made sure not to disappoint his fellow countryman with his performance.
The rapid winger didn’t score a goal or produce an assist in the match, but it was his cross to Alejandro Garnacho that preceded the Argentine’s cross, which ended in an own goal for the visitors.
However, it wasn’t just that one ball, as the dynamic 25-year-old was a constant threat down the wing and most certainly had the beating of his opposite man.
Unsurprisingly, the Blues’ “unsung hero,” as Joe Cole dubbed him during TNT’s coverage, also left an impression on the watching press, as football.london’s Bobby Vincent awarded him an 8/10 match rating at full-time.
In all, while it wasn’t necessarily the toughest of opponents or the most perfect of displays, Neto more than did his part in Chelsea’s win and simply has to start the next game, unlike another attacker he totally outshone.
The Chelsea star outshone by Neto
While much of the Chelsea team put in middling to good performances against Benfica, some struggled to make a positive impact, like Pedro and Jamie Gittens.
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However, those two were only given 30 minutes to try to influence the game, so you can forgive them for underwhelming on the night, which is an excuse that cannot be extended to Tyrique George.
Maresca handed the Cobham graduate his second start of the campaign, but instead of scoring a goal and providing an assist like he did against Lincoln City, he was practically anonymous.
It might sound somewhat harsh, but it was easy to forget that the Pensioners were even playing someone up top, as, unlike Neto on the right and Garnacho on the left, the Englishman never seemed to be involved at all.
This is an opinion shared by Vincent, who gave the youngster a 4/10 match rating on the night, writing that he ‘didn’t get involved too much’ and that ‘it feels too often as if games pass him by.’
Minutes
61′
Expected Goals
0.12
Goals
0
Expected Assists
0.1
Assists
0
Shots on Target
1
Dribbles
0
Touches
15
Passes
8/9 (89%)
Key Passes
0
Lost Possession
2
Unsurprisingly, his statistics more than justify such an appraisal, as in 61 minutes of action, the youngster amassed a combined expected goal and assists figure of 0.13, took one shot on target, completed eight passes, took just 15 touches, didn’t complete a pass and didn’t play a single key pass.
The London-born gem is clearly a talented player; his youth numbers, cameos last season, and performance last week suggest as much, but it’s crystal clear that he’s not someone who can lead the line for Chelsea.
Therefore, to improve the team and for George’s own sake, Maresca should take him out of the starting lineup for the game against Liverpool this weekend.