Chelsea are far too reliant on the injured Joao Pedro and are currently unable to function without the Brazilian in the team, Gus Poyet has exclusively told Sports Mole.

The former Brighton & Hove Albion and Watford striker has been a revelation for Xabi Alonso's side in the current Premier League campaign, amassing eight goal involvements from his first six top-flight games - five of his own and three assists.

However, Pedro is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, during which time the Blues have lost two and won one of their last three Premier League matches against Sunderland, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

Pedro also missed September's West London derby with Brentford due to a knee injury, and Chelsea were hammered 3-0 in his absence, as Danny Welbeck struggled to fill the Brazilian's boots up top.

Alonso has also trialled Pedro Neto as a centre-forward in Chelsea's last two games, but the Portugal international failed to make a major impact against either Man Utd or Sunderland, drawing blanks against both.

Chelsea "can't play" without Joao Pedro

Chelsea's drop-off in form during Pedro's absence has fuelled suggestions that the Blues are a one-man team, and Poyet is in agreement, the Uruguayan admitting that he had never witnessed a Chelsea team suffer such a dramatic decline in chance creation with one player missing.

Asked if Chelsea are relying too heavily on Pedro, Poyet told Sports Mole via NetBet betting site: "Yes, without any doubt. The difference is massive. I don't remember a Chelsea team losing one player like Joao Pedro and seeing such a dramatic drop in the quality of their chance creation.

"When Didier Drogba was there, it was spectacular, but if it wasn't Drogba, perhaps Shevchenko could come in and the team would still play in the same way. In my time, it was similar with Gianfranco Zola. The team would still create chances.

"Now, they're missing a massive player, but that shouldn't mean they can't play in a similar way. Chelsea look like they can't. The three players up front are incredible, and they need all three of them to be fit and performing every week."

How much worse are Chelsea without Joao Pedro?

Interestingly, Pedro does not even rank in the top 100 of Premier League players for chances created this season, having only made seven key passes; Brighton & Hove Albion's Pascal Gross tops that list with 29.

Nevertheless, the statistics back up Poyet's argument; Chelsea's average Expected Goals and shots per game both fall by 18% in Premier League matches without Pedro this season, while their chances created declines from 11.5 per game to 8.75 - a 24% decrease.

While Chelsea did generate three Expected Goals against Man United, that performance is caveated by Lisandro Martinez's sending-off and Cole Palmer's penalty; Alonso's men were arguably on the back foot during an 11v11 first half.

Thus far, Welbeck has failed to demonstrate Pedro's ability to drop deep and link play, while Neto does not possess the same physicality that his 6ft 1in teammate possesses.

Alonso was not able to guarantee that Pedro would return to face Leeds United on November 21 before the international break, but if the South American is not back in time and the Whites keep all 11 men on the field, Blues fans may head to Stamford Bridge with a sense of apprehension.

Poyet also questioned Alonso's use of another injury-hit Chelsea star, as the Blues lie fifth in the Premier League table with 16 points from their opening 10 games.