Troy Deeney has made an interesting claim about Pedro Neto and believes the winger is limited when he plays on the left side.
Neto was Chelsea’s most expensive summer signing as they paid Wolves an initial £51.4m for his services and after a slow start he’s starting to find his feet.
The 24-year-old has arguably been Chelsea’s best attacker in their last two games against Manchester United and Arsenal, with the Portugal international now delivering the level of performance expected from him.
Deeney believes Neto is restricted on the left wing
Neto scored a brilliant equaliser against Arsenal on Sunday to ensure the Blues left with a point and moved into third place in the league.
Competition for places in the wide areas is fierce and the Portuguese is competing with Jadon Sancho, Noni Madueke and Mykhailo Mudryk.
One thing going in Neto’s favour and why he’s such a valuable asset for Chelsea is that he’s comfortable playing on both sides.
The last two games he’s started on the left, but he’s also looked good on the right at times this season and that versatility is a big plus for Maresca.
Deeney recently stated why he thought Neto was a great signing, but he’s now made an interesting claim that the winger is restricted when he plays on the left.
“When he is out on the left, he is limited in what he can do because he is very powerful, very quick, but he is all left foot,” hd told Match of the Day 2.
“He hugs the touchline when he is out on this left-hand side. But when you put him out on the right-hand side, because he has that pace, look at [Jurrien] Timber, he has to back off. If you back off, that’s the type of ball that comes in and on another day Cole Palmer gets on the end of it.
There appears to be a consensus forming that Neto is better on the right and Madueke’s position in the team is certainly under threat with his performances dropping off in recent weeks.
Whether it’s on the left or right one thing that’s become clear over the last few weeks is Neto must be in Chelsea’s starting line-up.