FC Barcelona got a convincing victory against one of the most in-form teams in La Liga, Atletico Madrid, last night. While the Catalans won the match with only a 1-0 scoreline, they were clearly the dominant team on the pitch and kept threatening the Atletico goal throughout the match.
The midfield was one of the main areas of the team that allowed Xavi’s men to keep control of the pitch. The Barcelona head coach went with the trio of Pedri, De Jong, and Gundogan, against Atletico, keeping the same midfield personnel that won his team the match against Porto.
Pedri played 89 minutes in this match, showcasing the extent of his recovery from injury. But as reported by Mundo Deportivo, the player himself believed he is some way off from being 100% fit in his statements after the match:
“These matches need to be celebrated; they are complicated. I ended up tired; I still have a bit left to be at 100%.”
The midfielder went on to highlight Barcelona’s intensity in the match as an important factor that allowed his club to come out victorious in this match:
“We knew that Atlético is a very intense team; we came out wanting to have the ball, to move it from side to side. In the end, it’s normal that they impose themselves and want to score, and they had their chances.”
Barcelona have still another difficult match coming ahead, this time against Girona, who are the joint-leaders of La Liga with Real Madrid, and Pedri recognized that beating Michel’s men can be difficult:
“We’re seeing that they are a team that has a lot of possession, that wants to play, and it will surely be a beautiful and entertaining match for us.”
Lastly, Pedri also commented on the lone goal scorer of the match, Joao Felix, and expressed a desire to keep playing with him beyond the current season:
“He is very happy here, and I am happy for him. Hopefully, we can have him for as long as possible.”
