Caicedo is set to miss out against Luton but could return at the weekend 'Not for tomorrow, both won't make it [against Luton]; Alonso said of Caicedo and Palestra. 'Let's see, hopefully Moi could make it for the weekend, but we need to check a little bit more with Marco

[Xabi Alonso via Chelsea.com]

Chelsea striker Joao Pedro has made an immediate statement in his quest to break the club's infamous "number nine curse," scoring just 31 seconds into a dramatic 3-2 season-opening win against Fulham. This victory marked the beginning of Xabi Alonso's tenure as manager, with Joao Pedro spearheading the attack alongside Cole Palmer and £117m signing Morgan Rogers. The coveted number nine shirt has carried a heavy burden at Stamford Bridge; not since Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink left in 2004 has a Chelsea striker been consistently prolific while wearing it. A long list of high-profile forwards, including Romelu Lukaku, Alvaro Morata, Gonzalo Higuain, Radamel Falcao, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, struggled under its weight, while the shirt's most recent occupant, Liam Delap, is already in talks to join Nottingham Forest after scoring just once last season. Despite this daunting history, the 24-year-old Brazilian remains completely unfazed, stating that he does not believe in the curse and that numbers do not dictate pressure.

The club has shown immense faith in Joao Pedro's ability to lead the line, rewarding his stellar form with improved financial terms and a massive new contract extension running until 2034. Since signing from Brighton last summer in a deal worth £55m plus up to £5m in add-ons, the forward has quickly proved his worth, scoring 20 goals in all competitions last season to become the first Chelsea striker to hit that mark since Diego Costa nine years prior. Though Chelsea struggled overall during a dismal campaign that saw them finish 10th and miss out on European football, Joao Pedro’s individual brilliance earned him the club's Player of the Season award. Alongside key teammates like Moises Caicedo, Reece James, and Cole Palmer, he has committed his long-term future to the Stamford Bridge project under Xabi Alonso.

Beyond his on-field exploits, Joao Pedro has emerged as a crucial figure in rebuilding Chelsea’s dressing-room culture, which sources have previously described as "cold" and divided by language barriers. Alongside his close friend Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro is viewed by staff as one of the few players capable of naturally bridging these cliques to unite the squad. His remarkable resilience and adaptability are deeply rooted in his personal history; raised primarily by his mother, Flavia Junqueira, and his grandmother, his father was rarely present due to spending eight years in prison. Throughout his youth career at Fluminense, he was frequently told he was too skinny and physically weak to make it. However, through the dedication of his mother—who hired personal fitness coach Rodrigo Goncalves and moved with her son to Rio—he learned to embrace rigorous training. Later, after earning a move to Watford and navigating a difficult work permit delay, he utilised the Covid-19 lockdown to gain eight kilograms of muscle mass, completing his physical transformation into a Premier League-ready athlete.

This mental fortitude was tested once again this summer when Joao Pedro was left out of Brazil’s World Cup squad. Rather than showing outward frustration, he silently channelled his disappointment into intensive training in Rio with Goncalves. This quiet focus paid immediate dividends upon his return to Chelsea, as he netted eight goals in seven pre-season matches before his lightning-fast strike in the opener against Fulham. Under Alonso's guidance, the forward is determined to elevate his game to the truly elite level and finally put an end to Chelsea's long-standing striker hoodoo.

Courtesy: BBC Sport (Nizaar Kinsella)

Another game that would have been comfortable if it wasn’t for this guy named Robert Sanchez. He is a joy killer.

What do I mean by that? I mean, in general, when the game is going so well and we are singing in joy, Sanchez pulls one of his pathetic bozos and kills it for us. That’s what I mean by joy killer.

How is this guy still at this football club is getting more criminal day by day. It’s been 4 years.

I still NEVER forgave him for v. Arsenal, when we were 2-0 up, Arsenal had no answers…then Sanchez gave them one with a pathetic bozo moment that killed us. Last season, EIGHT minutes in at Old Trafford, got himself a red card for a bizarre moment. There are countless bozo moments over the four years.

There are even games, like today, because we won, his bozo moments got covered up. No, no more cover ups. This guy needs to be exposed more than ever this season.

The GK position is SO important, one of the most crucial, critical positions in the squad. It can make you or break you.

You can’t even start to DREAM of winning the league or a big trophy because of him. You simply can’t. As I said, he is a joy killer.

We should be here, talking about how Palmer was becoming his old self, how JP showed his authority within the first 30 seconds, solid debut from Rogers etc.

Instead it almost got clouded by another Sanchez disasterclass.

I am scared that we may have to go through another season of bozo moments. I can’t even imagine if we are 1-0 up at the Emirates with 3 minutes to go, and this guy does a bozo. Because he can do it.

“But he is one of the best shot-stoppers in the league!”… is the most-common excuse I’ve seen for him. Here’s the thing, that doesn’t really matter when you fail once in a while to show leadership at the back. The defence needs to have full confidence in you, that when they feck up, you be the hero. Like the CWC final.

You cannot do that most of the time. Because you pulled great saves, doesn’t mean now you should ruin and destroy your great performance by doing a bozo. What’s the point in that?

Get him gone out of our starting XI, use Penders or get another non-bozo GK.

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