Joao Pedro shares changes Liam Rosenior has made at Chelsea compared to Enzo Maresca
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Chelsea striker Joao Pedro shared his thoughts on the difference between head coach Liam Rosenior and his predecessor, Enzo Maresca.
Wednesday's win over Napoli marked Rosenior's fifth win in his first six games in charge at Chelsea.
The victory also secured Chelsea;s automatic qualification for the round of 16 in the Champions League, avoiding play-offs by finishing sixth on the league phase table.
Joao Pedro, who has scored four goals in five games under Rosenior, noticed some differences since Rosenior took over earlier this month.
"I think Liam is more electric," the Brazil international told CBS Sports when asked about the difference between Rosenior and Maresca.
"He wants us to play with more intensity and compact.
"If you see my second goal, I was low. He wants us to come low to be connected and create the space for us to run in behind.
"Enzo is more with the ball. He's very good as well, but yeah, I think that's the difference."
Obviously, each approach has its advantages and disadvantages.
While Maresca preferred to maintain control of the possession of the ball, minimising defensive risks, it is easy to see why Rosenior's more direct system benefits players such as Joao Pedro, who utilises his speed a lot.
By playing more compact, Chelsea likely win the ball higher up the pitch less often and arguably invite more pressure defensively, but at the same time, their attackers have more space to exploit.
"At times, we won the ball high, and the distance was too big," Rosneior spoke about his tactics to CBS Sports after the game.
"We adapted to that at half-time, and the players were a little bit more compact and kept the ball better in the second half.
"I felt their resilience to win the game was magnificent."
Gerry Crisandy is a freelance writer who has covered Chelsea for many years. His work has been published on The Chelsea Chronicle and Pride of London. He grew up idolising Michael Ballack and is a firm believer in expected goals.