Chelsea forward João Pedro just dropped an absolute bomb on Rio Ferdinand’s podcast regarding the omission of Cole Palmer from the England’s World Cup squad, Yankee Scores reports…
Brazilian striker João Pedro believes Cole Palmer would be a starter for Brazil if he were Brazilian.
Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, the 24-year-old striker waxed lyrical about his teammate, whom he believes would fit perfectly into the Brazilian setup.
The Samba Praise
“He’s very intelligent. He’s magic,” the Brazilian said. “I said to him before, ‘I didn’t think you were that good.’ And he looked at me [with a quizzical expression]. But now, because I play with him, yeah, he’s different.
“I said to him, ‘Why don’t you come to Brazil? Take the number 10 there, mate. No problem.’
“Because in Brazil, we don’t have this guy. If you watch us we play 4-2-4. We don’t have a number 10,” he added.
“Cole is a different guy. Sometimes he’s quiet, but then [snaps fingers]. One second, he’s changed the game. So he’s very good.”
Palmer and Pedro Snubs
Interestingly, both Palmer and Pedro are part of the notable omissions from their country’s World Cup squad. It appears Ancelotti included Neymar at the expense of Pedro, who emerged as Chelsea’s player of the year.
For the Three Lions, Thomas Tuchel preferred Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers and Arsenal’s Noni Madueke to Cole Palmer, who had a dip in form, particularly towards the end of last season.
Though Neymar has missed Santos’ last three games and was absent in the first Brazil training due to a calf injury, he insisted the injury will not affect his performance at the World Cup.
Group Power Over Individualism
Ancelotti had talked up team effort over individuality after releasing his 26-man squad for the World Cup.
“[Ancelotti] says he doesn’t want one guy. He wants the group. Because he thinks the group has more power than one guy.
“And I think with him there, when he talks, people listen. Because he wins everything. And with the players, he tries to build relationships with everyone.
“He tells you what he wants to do but also gives the freedom for you to play your football, to enjoy [it]. So, I think he’s very good for the team.”
