There have been some clear issues at FC Barcelona in recent weeks. As a direct consequence of these issues, moreover, the Catalan giants have suffered rather miserably in La Liga. Despite initially being at first place, Barcelona have now stumbled down to third position in the league standings.
However, one of the key factors behind this has been the team’s inability to finish off their chances. Robert Lewandowski himself addressed this issue and took the blame for it by confessing his lack of calmness in recent games whenever he found himself in a promising position in the opposition box.
Yet, if there is one silver lining for Hansi Flick’s team, it was apparent in the last game against Atletico Madrid. Aged 22, Pedri has already established himself as one of the key components of Flick’s Barcelona and his rejuvenated form is something that is truly a blessing.
As highlighted by SPORT, this second explosion of Pedri’s is the best kind of Christmas gift that Flick could have asked for. The youngster has finally found his best version again, arguably his most potent in a Barcelona shirt yet, and he almost looks unplayable every time he is on the pitch now.
Creating chances for fun, the young Spaniard continues to excel with his creativity on the pitch. Against Atletico Madrid, for instance, he made that clear enough with the kind of opportunities he presented his teammates with and all they had to do was convert them, something that they failed to accomplish.
However, beyond just his creativity, there is much more to his game this season. Already the leader in La Liga when it comes to ball recoveries, he has shown that he offers much more to the team than just his technical abilities. Against Atletico Madrid, for instance, he effectively made 13 such ball recoveries.
Moreover, in that very same game, he also opened the scoring for Barcelona after a sublime play to initiate it himself. His four goals and three assists so far this season may look impressive, but they do not do justice to the whole package that he brings to the team.
Another greatly improved aspect in regards to Pedri is his fitness and consistency this year. During this ongoing season, the youngster has played in 25 games for Barcelona and 6 for the Spanish National team, and it showcases just how well he has managed to get over his injury problems.
All of these things combined have transformed him into his best version yet, and easily his most complete one as well. From his offensive contributions to his defensive actions, Pedri is truly turning out to be the kind of blessing that Hansi Flick would love to make use of more at Barcelona.
