Teams will need short pre-season before play resumes, admits Pedro
With the Premier League suspected to be back by the start of May, Chelsea winger Pedro believes that a short preseason could help the players get their rhythm back.The Spaniard’s contract expires in May, but has expressed a strong desire to stay at Stamford Bridge and work under Frank Lampard.
Football in Europe has come to a standstill and the latest top flight to have fallen by the hurdles are the Premier League and EFL in England. The clubs at present are struggling to strike an agreement with their players to take temporary wage cuts. Everyone is eager to see the atmosphere turn back to normal, with noisy stadiums and cheerful fans.Â
However, Chelsea’s Pedro suggests that the clubs and players would need a preseason of sorts before they get into the action. Speaking to the Blues’ website the winger went on to admit that while players are training at home, it's nothing compared to doing it in a proper environment. Pedro also added that players will need a short pre-season, before trying to finish out the rest of the season, in order to get match fit again.Â
“You can train hard at home but that's nothing compared to the rhythm at the highest level. A lot of clubs have now been apart for many days, so it's going to be difficult to get match fit. I imagine there would have to be a short pre-season and then we'd probably quickly get on to the remaining games to try to complete the season, but only if possible as there is a lot of talk that some leagues might be able to finish and others won't," Pedro told Chelseaafc.com
The quarantine time is proving a bit cruel for the Spaniard who due to the lockdown is stuck in England, while all of his family is in Spain. But furthermore, with his future at the club in doubt and his contract coming to an end at the end of this season, there are questions about his future. Blues boss Frank Lampard is convinced that Chelsea will need an overhaul to challenge for top laurels and he loves to work with a young team. But Pedro went on to admit that he is not looking to leave.
"It's hard not to be seeing your children, your parents, your siblings - not having them close by at a complicated, difficult time for us all. We are in permanent contact on the phone, keeping in touch about what we are up to in isolation and trying to be as close as possible. I belong to Chelsea. My wish is to be able to stay here, but obviously we don't know what will happen," he added.