Chelsea thrashed West Ham: how Joao Pedro became the hero of the match.

According to The Sun: Joao Pedro (£4.3 million) has become an important figure at the start of the new Dream Team season.

After an impressive performance at the club World Championship, the Chelsea player gained popularity among managers before the first round.

Unfortunately, Chelsea failed to realize their potential in the opening match against Crystal Palace, and Pedro was substituted in the middle of the second half in a game that ended in a 0-0 draw.

As a result, the Brazilian became the third most popular footballer who was changed before the second round.

However, those Dream Team managers who gave up on Pedro regretted it after his brilliant game against West Ham, where he scored one goal and provided two assists, helping his team to victory.

Thus, he earned 17 points — at that time only Jorgen Strand Larsen (£3.5 million) scored more in this round.

As a result, Pedro is currently the second most popular player being acquired before the deadline of the third round.

This situation illustrates the typical excitement often observed among managers at the start of the season.

Dream Team owners must utilize their transfers to respond to changes, but at the same time, they should not succumb to rash decisions based on limited data.

It’s easy to draw conclusions after the outcome, but abandoning Pedro before the match against West Ham was risky.

Graham Potter's team lost 0-3 to Sunderland in the opening game, so games against West Ham looked like a good opportunity for Chelsea players to prove themselves.

Interestingly, Pedro took a position usually filled by Callum Palomar (£5.7 million), who was left out of the squad due to an injury during warm-up.

The 23-year-old player is capable of playing in position No. 10, and some believe that this is his strongest role.

At the moment, it seems that the third round may be too early for Palomar, so Pedro will likely start again as the advanced midfielder when Chelsea hosts Fulham on Saturday.

Managers want their attackers to be closer to the net, but the most important thing is points, and Pedro has already shown that he can achieve good results, even playing in a withdrawn role.

Perhaps, Pedro will take penalties while Palomar is absent, as he has an excellent record with them.

Result Predictions

After the international break, Chelsea will face Brentford in the fourth round, and then they will start their Champions League campaign, which will be their first double round of the 2025/26 season.

The absence of Palomar may worry Dream Team managers, but Pedro looks like a reliable substitute in this situation.