One on One | Chelsea's Joao Pedro on playing for a new 'gaffer’, moving from Brazil and which position is his best.

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0:35Liam Rosenior:Hello and welcome to another one-on-one from Sky Sports with me Joe Tomlinson and the interviews with football's biggest names just keep on coming. Today I want to bring you my chat with a striker who simply cannot stop scoring at the moment. Yes Chelsea forward João Pedro sits down with me to chat about the first few weeks under his new head coach Liam Rossinia. We also got into the weeds It's talking about life as a Brazilian number nine, how tough the move from his home nation to Watford was, and the brilliance of Roberto de Zerbi at Brighton. We also chatted about why the Premier League is quickly becoming the preferred destination for Brazilian players.

1:11Liam Rosenior:Oh, and Chelsea fans, fret not, because he finally reveals exactly which position he wants to play. So here we go then, my one-on-one with João Pedro.

1:25Liam Rosenior:Joao, thank you so much for joining me here today. It's been a big few weeks at the club and for yourself as well. How have you found life under Liam so far?

1:34Joe Thomlinson:Yeah, everything is very quickly for us because it changed the gaffer. And Liam tried to put his ideas on our mind. You don't have too much time to think about it, but you try to learn as quick as possible. Yeah, he's been amazing. He's electric, so yeah, he's a very good manager.

1:55Liam Rosenior:When a new manager comes to a club, is it a little bit like sort of first day at school, everybody's trying to impress? What's the training ground vibe been like?

2:02Joe Thomlinson:Yeah, everyone is like, like I said, like the first time in the school, but now we are more comfortable, I think. Now we understand more what he wants us to do on the pitch. So yeah, it's been good.

2:20Liam Rosenior:What has he come in and said to you? What was the message he delivered to you as a team?

2:24Joe Thomlinson:As a team, he wants us to play. If we don't play good, it doesn't matter, but always he wants intensity from us. OK. So, yeah, it's a very good point, because if we play with intensity, sometimes we don't want to play good, but we still need to win the game. So, yeah, the first thing he said to us was to play with intensity.

2:47Liam Rosenior:And that suits your game as well, right? Because you like to be very intense, particularly off the ball, on the ball. You're quite an intense footballer.

2:53Joe Thomlinson:Yeah, I try to help the team with the ball, for the ball. In the Premier League, you need to play like this because if you drop your intensity in the game, you can concede. So, yeah, I think everyone starts to think more to run, help each other because with the ball, you have a good idea and I think you can play good if you recover fast the ball.

3:18Liam Rosenior:And yourself, has he managed to sit you down Have any individual meetings with you? Have you spoken to him on a one-to-one? What sort of things was he talking to you about your game?

3:25Joe Thomlinson:Yeah, we spoke a little bit He knew I played against him When he was coaching Hull City And yeah, he said a lot of good things about me And also he said he wanted to help me To develop, to improve every day So I like this kind of manager because it's good to have this feedback from them because sometimes you don't know what you need to improve and when you heard from the gaffer, you just try to do better.

3:57Liam Rosenior:Was there any specifics he spoke to you about that you think in your game as well that you agreed with?

4:03Joe Thomlinson:He said he likes me like a striker, but sometimes I can play as a 10. so for me to be ready to learn both positions. I think it's good for me because I prefer to play a 9 but sometimes if I need I can do it as a 10 as well.

4:25Liam Rosenior:So you say you prefer to play a 9. I think that's a bit of a chat about you, isn't it? What is your best position? But you personally prefer to play as a striker?

4:32Joe Thomlinson:Yeah, I prefer to stay more near to the goal. I think I'll be more dangerous.

4:36Liam Rosenior:But you've played everywhere, haven't you? I was looking at some of your former games. You're playing in midfield roles, defensive midfield roles. Do you think that's helped your overall game shape?

4:46Joe Thomlinson:Yeah, of course, because you understand more about the game. But for me, I prefer to stay in front. Up there, I need to go score.

4:57Joao Pedro:João Pedro blasts it beyond Anderson and doubles Chelsea's lead.

5:03Liam Rosenior:How have you found your first six months or so at the club then? because you've had a massive impact when you first arrived, obviously. Club World Cup, Club World Cup final. Talk to me about your first six or so months at the club.

5:14Joe Thomlinson:Yeah, like you said, the Club World Cup was amazing for me. The season, I think, is good. I think it could be better, but I'm still also like... I was playing with a small injury, so it's difficult for me to be 100 % every game, but I always want to be on the pitch. You can see in the group we have many problems, many injuries and I think this season for me is good but could be bad. I think I'm still young but I've been a long time here in England but I think I still have things to improve.

5:59Liam Rosenior:Do you think the fact that you have been here so long has kind of helped your adaption a little bit to the Premier League Because you've played in the Premier League before. You've been in England for a long time now.

6:06Joe Thomlinson:Yeah, of course. Because I've been in the Championship. Yeah. I had to learn, grow up there. And then I came to the Premier League. I had to adapt to develop my game. And I think every day, if you work hard, you can improve. That's why I joined Chelsea. To improve, to win trophies and to get in bed.

6:30Joao Pedro:Pedro's away. Pedro away. Pedro into the box. Goes on his right. Chess, goal! 3-2, send it to me a goal, even way. And as Yard Pedro scores, runs to the defender, takes it on his right, smashes it in the far corner. 3-2, Chelsea.

6:46Liam Rosenior:Let's talk a bit about your squad then, because obviously you've come in as a fairly young player, but there's a lot of young players in the squad. Who are your best friends in the squad? Who do you hang out with most of the time?

6:56Joe Thomlinson:I would say both Brazilian, Andre and Esteban. but I had a group, a Spanish group as well. We stayed with Pedro, Enzo, Caicedo, Cucu, Garnacho, Robert, Philippe. So, yeah, we spent the whole day in the training ground together. So, yeah, I cannot choose one, but if I had to choose, I would choose Andre and Stéphane.

7:22Liam Rosenior:Obviously, the Brazilian core here, there's a lot of Brazilians in the Premier League now. Now, a lot of Brazilians originally were going to Spain, going to Italy, but now you see them arriving a little bit more in England. Why do you think that is? Is it more of an attraction to the Premier League? I think because Premier League is the more difficult and the best league in the world.

7:42Joe Thomlinson:I think everyone wants to be here. So that's why I think now a lot of Brazilian players want to come here and have a lot of Brazilian players now. I think it's because of that, because Premier League is the most difficult and the best league for me, in my opinion.

7:58Liam Rosenior:How did you find it when you first came over to England? Because obviously you sort of exploded onto the scene in Brazil, but it's a tough journey, that, coming over to England, to Watford. How did you find that transition?

8:09Joe Thomlinson:In the beginning it was difficult because different country, different language, food, everything. But I think my first six months I was a little bit struggling, but I have had two friends, Domingos Quina and Gomez, Aurelio Gomez, helped me a lot, my time in Waterford. So I think when you have someone who can support you, I think it's much easier. But I struggle a little bit to speak the language, and then after that I was fine. I feel like now when I go to Brazil in the summer, I want to come back because here is, I think now is my new house, my new home.

8:56Liam Rosenior:Do you find that you're playing a similar sort of role with Esteval now? Obviously, he's arrived, maybe doesn't speak the English amazingly, but what a player and it's a big jump for him too.

9:06Joe Thomlinson:I think for Esteval, I think everyone wants to help him and also have a lot of Spanish players who can help him as well because Spanish is similar to Portuguese. And we try to make it easier for him when he doesn't understand when the gaffer says something to him or he translates to him. Yeah, I think his mentality is brilliant because he wants to learn. He wants to improve. So I think soon he'll be speaking fluent. Yeah? It's getting close? Yeah, he understands now, but he still needs to speak a little bit.

9:47Liam Rosenior:So how long did it take you to sort of learn that English language? Because I think it's an underrated difficulty, isn't it? Moving leagues, moving countries, trying to learn a new language.

9:55Joe Thomlinson:It's similar to you guys. For example, if you want to learn a language, it'll be difficult. Yeah. So for us, you have to because you need to adapt. We choose to come here and play England. But I think I'll say six months.

10:10Liam Rosenior:Wow. That's quick. I'm telling you.

10:12Joe Thomlinson:Not to understand, but to speak, I was a little bit shy.

10:15Liam Rosenior:but yeah, to understand six months. And that first sort of six months and then obviously the period in the championship, the championship is hard football. It's direct, it's physical. Was that a big change up from the Brazilian leagues for you?

10:30Joe Thomlinson:Yeah, for sure. In Brazil, we play more. The championship is more, like you said, it's more physical, more battle. So I had to adapt to grow up, to adapt to the league, but also show my quality to be able to come back to the Premier League again. So, yeah, I think I did a great job in my time in Waterford. And then I tried to break it and, yeah, it was good for me.

11:02Liam Rosenior:Do you think a bit of that Brazilian intensity, though, does suit the championship, doesn't it? Because, you know, it's flurry, but there's tackles going in, intense football.