Chelsea forward João Pedro is confident that Brazil’s attacking unit will soon find its rhythm, as supporters have voiced their dissatisfaction with the team’s recent outings.
Following a 2-1 friendly loss to France last week, Brazilian fans chanted for the absent Neymar, lamenting the national team’s goal-scoring struggles.
Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti deployed a formidable attack featuring Barcelona’s Raphinha and Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli supporting Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior and Manchester United’s Matheus Cunha.
“We’re becoming more familiar with each other,” João Pedro, who entered the match in the second half against France, stated to ESPN Brasil.
“I play in England, Vini is in Spain, and Raphinha is at another club. We need to train together as we do at our clubs, where we spend the entire year. With the national team, the approach differs from that at your club, so quick adaptation is necessary.
“With additional training time, everything starts to function more effectively. Things will begin to align soon enough.”
Brazil has been without Neymar, their all-time leading scorer with 79 goals, since October 2023 when he sustained an ACL injury while on international duty.
He has faced challenges in regaining his top form with Santos, leading Ancelotti to exclude him from selection. Standout players in La Liga, Vinícius and Raphinha, have not performed at their peak for Brazil.
Vinícius has netted only eight goals in 46 appearances for Brazil, while Raphinha has scored 11 times in 36 matches.
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João Pedro, 24, feels that the weight of not winning the World Cup in 24 years is hindering some star forwards from displaying their full capabilities.
“In the past, we had Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Romário, but if you look at today’s football, Brazil has players of that caliber,” he remarked.
“There’s Vini at Real Madrid, Raphinha at Barcelona, me and Estêvão at Chelsea, and Andrey as well. They all play for elite clubs.
“What is concerning is that it has been a long time since Brazil last lifted the World Cup. We are the greatest national team in the world, and when victory eludes you for an extended period, that pressure accumulates.”
With Raphinha now sidelined for five weeks due to a hamstring injury, João Pedro, who has recorded 14 goals and eight assists in 31 league matches for Chelsea, is anticipated to start in Tuesday’s friendly against Croatia in Orlando.
The five-time world champions will commence their World Cup journey against Morocco on June 13.
