Analysing the problem with Pedro at Roma

When Roma announced the signing of Pedro in the summer of 2020, the reaction was mixed. Some fans were excited to see a player coming to the club who had brushed shoulders with some of the very best, but others were sceptical about his age and what he could offer in the present.

Even those who doubted Pedro may be surprised at just how much he has struggled to prove himself in Rome, though. After a bright start to his time in Italy, including a goal from outside the box against Udinese, things have gone downhill for Pedro. The turning point may have been his red card against Sassuolo in December; he has not been the same since.

There have been some more promising signs, such as his instinctive, flicked assist for Borja Mayoral’s goal against Torino. But in general, every good action from Pedro is accompanied by a greater proportion of frustrating moments.

Amid his mixed recent form, there have been rumours that Roma want to sell Pedro this summer, just one year into his three-year contract. But is there more that needs to be considered here?

Pedro’s form of late has not been of the level that Roma need. But with all he has achieved in the game, his quality still cannot be denied.

Of course, the past counts for little in football and Roma have seen the risks of signing high-profile players beyond their peaks before. Javier Pastore would be the obvious example from the current squad. However, there must be more questions about why things are going wrong for Pedro before giving up on him completely.

So, what is to blame for his inconsistencies? Is it merely the fact that he is adapting to a new league?

Embed from Getty Images

There are several instances of players finding the move from one country to another tough. Pedro’s former Barcelona teammate Thiago Alcantara has not thrived since leaving Bayern Munich for Liverpool, and his former Chelsea teammate Eden Hazard has been plagued by injuries but also loss of form since switching to Real Madrid, for example.

A player of Pedro’s experience should be capable of performing wherever, but the transition to Serie A is even harder than most other leagues. One only needs to look at the contrast between Edin Dzeko’s first and second seasons at Roma to be reminded of that.

Going from the Premier League, where it is all about pace and physicality, to the more measured and tactically-complex world of Serie A is not easy. Pedro may be the latest victim of this, but his knowledge of the game is too broad to class this as the only factor.

So, is it a problem with not just the general tactical nature of Serie A, but Roma’s own tactics specifically? In his last season at Chelsea, Pedro played in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 system most often. Chelsea did use a back three akin to Roma’s on one occasion when the Spaniard started in the Premier League, but usually his role was as an out-and-out winger.

That role does not appear in its classic form in Paulo Fonseca’s 3-4-2-1. It is the reason why Justin Kluivert and Cengiz Under were sent away from the club in the same summer that Pedro arrived and may also be a factor in why Stephan El Shaarawy hasn’t matched the impact he made in his first January move to Roma second time around; wingers do not function in this formation.

Embed from Getty Images

Clearly, the club believed Pedro could be more versatile, or else they would never have brought him in. But maybe he is struggling with the tactical aspects of playing in a much more inverted role, where space can be at a premium.

Or maybe that would be doing him a disservice. Pedro’s best scoring season in the Premier League came in Antonio Conte’s first year at Chelsea, where he often used a 3-4-2-1. Fonseca’s tactics are not an exact match of Conte’s and have their own nuances, but it goes to show that Pedro has succeeded in similar systems before.

Another factor to consider alongside that, then, is one Roma are all too familiar with: physical problems. Has age simply caught up with a player who is in the later years of his career?

In his final season at Chelsea, Pedro missed 18 games through various injuries and illnesses. Perhaps the alarm bells should have been ringing earlier for Roma.

Since his switch to Italy, Pedro has been halted by a couple of muscle injuries – the latest coming in mid-April. He has not missed as many games as he did for Chelsea last term, but perhaps that lack of preparation set him up to struggle.

Embed from Getty Images

Let us not forget that Pedro arrived at Roma injured after going off in the FA Cup final with a dislocated shoulder. That meant he missed out on pre-season training, the consequences of which are clear. Chris Smalling has been in a similar boat, albeit from different circumstances in the summer, and is another who shows the knock-on effects of that.

Smalling in his prime last season was outstanding, though, and Pedro in his prime – even though that may have been longer ago – also fell into the higher categories. The question now is whether both players can recover those levels.

There are, of course, other factors that could change the plans with Pedro. The identity of Roma’s coach next season is unclear; if it is someone with different tactics to Fonseca, Pedro could thrive again – as long as he is physically capable.

Roma must be careful, as they have put themselves in difficult contractual situations with high-profile players before. Pedro is the next one they have to make a decision about, but he will be hoping it is not a lost cause.

Show your support by following Giallorossi Yorkshire on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, and subscribe to the monthly newsletter.