Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca has stated that it is "completely Pedro's decision" whether or not the player will participate in the FIFA Club World Cup quarter-final against Palmeiras, following the tragic death of his Portugal teammate, Diogo Jota. Liverpool forward Jota, who also played alongside Neto at Wolves, passed away on Thursday after a car accident in Spain.
Maresca addressed the media on Thursday evening ahead of the quarter-final match against Palmeiras, acknowledging the somber atmosphere surrounding the team. "It's a very sad day," Maresca said, struggling to find the right words. "You know, the feeling that you are, that you feel a little bit, you know, helpless in this kind of situation, and the only thing I can say, you know, all my love to, you know, his family, the people that in this moment, it's a big tragedy for them".
Neto did not train following the news, and Maresca confirmed that he would be granted compassionate leave should he want it. "In terms of Pedro, he's very sad, probably more than sad, but we are also close to Pedro to support him in this moment". When asked if Neto was in the right frame of mind to play, Maresca responded, "It's completely Pedro's decision". "I had a chat this morning with Pedro. We support him. Any decision he will take is the correct one, and we are going to support him in any case. So it doesn't matter if we'll be in the pitch or not. Tomorrow, we'll see how he is feeling tomorrow. But in any case, we're gonna support him".
The Chelsea squad has already been impacted by the absence of Moises Caicedo due to suspension. Romeo Lavia is also a fitness doubt due to a muscular injury.
New signing Joao Pedro, who recently completed a £60 million move from Brighton, could make his debut in the match. Maresca noted that Pedro's situation was "a bit strange or different because he was on holiday". "Even if he was working it is not the same when you work for yourself, compared with when you work with the team". "But we are very happy with Joao. In the last two days he worked with us. We'll see if we need him and if we have a chance to give him some minutes we're going to give him some minutes".
Chelsea's path to the quarter-finals included a 4-1 victory over Benfica after extra time in the Round of 16. Before that, they secured wins against Los Angeles and ES Tunis in the group stage, but also suffered a 3-1 defeat to Flamengo.
Looking ahead, Maresca emphasized that the focus is on the team's performance against Palmeiras, rather than individual players. The game could see Chelsea come up against the teenage Brazilian forward Estevao Willian, who is due to join them after the tournament. "When we prepare for games, we are used to prepare games thinking about the team, not the players that are on the pitch," Maresca stated. "We prepare for the game against Palmeiras, not against Estevao. In this moment he is a Palmeiras player. We don't care if in the future he will be with us when this competition is finished. The only thing we are focused on is doing our best to try to beat Palmeiras".
The match against Palmeiras marks a reunion of sorts, as Chelsea defeated the Brazilian side in the 2021 Club World Cup final.
