---
title: "Be more like Xabi Alonso for the sake of the obedient Pedro Neto's of the world"
date: 2026-10-17T09:38:54-04:00
categories: ["opinion"]
url: https://tacticsjournal.com/2026/10/17/be-more-like-xabi-alonso-for-the-sake-of-the-obedient-pedro-neto-s-of-the-world/
---

# Be more like Xabi Alonso for the sake of the obedient Pedro Neto's of the world

Pedro Neto has always been a threat in a straight line. He is a very athletic player, but his pace doesn't define him. It has, however, defined him over the past two seasons at Chelsea.

When he was at Wolves, he showed he was capable of having a mind of his own, as most Wolves recruits do, rather than mindlessly making run after run after run, only to run some more. Wolves' recruitment strategy targeted players with flair and dribbling ability. If you need a dribbler, look to Wolves.

He is an obedient player, obviously, because he suppressed that natural instinct every footballer with any form of ability has: to use deception and avoid doing the same thing twice.

Enzo Maresca—and technically Liam Rosenior, though he inherited Pedro Neto's lack of confidence after two years of working with Maresca—took advantage of that obedience to promote a more restrictive style of football that attacks the mind. Xabi Alonso seems to have reignited that creativity and individualism.

Be more like Xabi Alonso.

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