Former Chelsea star Tony Dorigo has praised new signings Liam Delap and Joao Pedro for their explosive start to life in a blue shirt, also noting the club have looked “impressive” in their Club World Cup campaign.
Chelsea have been comfortable in a Club World Cup campaign that has seen them swat aside Benfica, Palmeiras and Fluminense so far.
The tournament has given boss Enzo Maresca the chance to give new boys Pedro and Delap some minutes, and the pair have impressed with both scoring their first goals for the club.
Pedro shone in his full debut in Tuesday evening’s semi-final against Thiago Silva’s Fluminense, scoring two screamers to send Maresca’s side to the final, bagging £80million in prize money along the way.
Joao Pedro scored twice in his full debut for Chelsea against his former club Fluminense
Reuters
Former First Division champion Dorigo has hailed the new signings, giving the club new options at the top of the pitch as they head into the new Premier League season.
Speaking to William Hill, the former defender said: “I like what I see from Delap, his physicality is good and poses a different threat to [Nicolas] Jackson.
“Joao Pedro had an impressive season at Brighton, he is a handful as well, which makes him difficult to defend against. Chelsea will have many different options of strikers which can give the likes of Palmer plenty of chances to feed them with balls in the box.
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Both goals from the Brazilian were superb
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“Pedro has Premier League experience with Brighton, so knows the pace of the League, which is key to settling in. There should be no issue here, which is good for the club, that they have a player ready to go.
“Having different types of strikers means Chelsea can adapt the way they play. Pedro is very good with his feet, his awareness is excellent, so no issue playing through the lines, but he can also use his strength if the ball is in the air.
“It’s good for Chelsea to have these options.”
Dorigo, who made 164 appearances for the Blues between 1987 and 1991, insisted on the importance of momentum at the club following their Conference League victory in May.
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Chelsea beat Real Betis in the final, after goals from Enzo Fernandez, Jackson, Jadon Sancho and Moises Caicedo.
The triumph marked Chelsea as the first team in history to win all five UEFA club tournaments, including the Super Cup and the Cup Winners’ Cup.
“The team seem to have carried on their good momentum from the end of the season and winning the Conference League,” Dorigo continued. “The players look confident, and going forward, Chelsea seem to be playing on the front foot and looking to cause teams problems.
“[They are] playing with no fear, and the squad are being rotated so Maresca can look at how he wants his team to look for the new Premier League season.”
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Tony Dorigo feels Chelsea are now playing with 'no fear' after they progressed to the final of the Club World Cup
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Looking ahead to the new season, Chelsea have brought in Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund, and Estevao, a highly-rated Brazilian teenager from Palmerieras who scored a terrific goal in the quarter-final against Chelsea earlier this week, along with their striker reinforcements.
Dorigo, however, thinks more reinforcements are needed.
“The attacking side looks excellent,” he said. “In the middle of the park as well, the options are strong, and I expect Lavia to have a big season next year.
“Potentially, a goalkeeper could come in, but apart from that, unless anyone leaves, the squad is looking strong and ready to compete well for the Premier League.
“This Club World Cup has to be used as an advantage for Maresca as there is a lot of young talent available to him to enable him to decide on the squad he wants for the new season.”
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