FC Barcelona are coming off an impressive display of football against Athletic Bilbao with their 2-1 win on Saturday. Hansi Flick’s team played an exciting and attacking brand of football which fans had sorely missed in the last few years.
Many players in Flick’s team could come off from that game with their heads held high but arguably Barcelona’s best player on the night was Pedri. The #8 started in a double pivot alongside Marc Bernal and pulled all the strings in midfield.
Pedri’s performance against the Basque club was reminiscent of ex-coach Xavi Hernandez in his prime days. The 21-year-old knew exactly when to slow down or speed up the game to ensure Barcelona attacked at the right moments.
As per SofaScore, Pedri recorded 64 touches in his 90 minutes on the pitch and had an xA of around 0.41. He completed 87% of his passes including five key passes. He also completed two of his three attempted dribbles. Even defensively, he won four out of his six ground duels.
As per SPORT, Pedri is slowly yet surely moving back to his best level following incessant injury issues. He is living up to Flick’s expectations of him to contribute with assists, getting past lines of pressure, and arriving late in the final third of the pitch.
Hansi Flick had mentioned before this campaign that Pedri is a ‘special‘ player who can change the team by himself. Judging by his performance against Bilbao, the Spanish international is living up to his coach’s prophecy.
Pairing him with a more defensive-minded option like Marc Bernal also gives Pedri the freedom to dictate play. In this role, the 21-year-old’s best abilities and quality on the ball are highlighted, giving Barcelona so much control.
The only thing Barcelona fans will be hoping for is that Pedri remains fit for the entirety of the campaign. Injuries have been his bane in recent seasons and let’s hope Flick’s renewed fitness regimes help the Spaniard maintain his fitness for the season to come.
