After a spectacular revival last season, Pedri began the second year of Hansi Flick’s reign as an irreplaceable figure in Barca’s squad.
Pedri was fully deserving of the Man of the Match award against Levante. Barcelona’s comeback at Ciudad de Valencia against the impressive newcomer Levante would not have been possible without his brilliance and insight on the field. Indeed, in the first half, faced with Levante’s packed defense, he found it difficult to locate gaps to supply the forwards and sometimes seemed a bit hurried.
However, Pedri’s magnificent long-range shot sparked hope for Barca’s comeback. It was a near-perfect strike in every detail. Levante’s defenders didn’t charge to block it because they doubted he would shoot (AI predicted only a 1.4% chance of scoring). Yet Pedri didn’t hesitate, releasing a technically excellent, powerful shot that was unstoppable. Previously, against Mallorca, he nearly scored a spectacular goal with his left foot.
That goal was a testament to another crucial performance where Pedri continued to control Barca’s gameplay. "Hope you stay injury-free," Hansi Flick probably thought. Pedri is the true "heartbeat" of the team. With him, "Blaugrana" plays one way; without him, they play differently.
Pedri is maintaining excellent form
The attacking play once again flowed through Pedri’s feet, with a total of 145 touches. He completed 127 passes, 118 of which were accurate — a 93% success rate. Additionally, he delivered 2 key passes creating chances, 3 accurate long balls out of 6 attempts, and took 2 shots. Beyond that, Pedri excelled defensively: winning back possession 10 times (the most on the team) and even winning several aerial duels.
In Flick’s eyes, he remains an irreplaceable asset. Under the German coach’s guidance, Pedri had the best season of his career. Last season, he led La Liga in 9 categories: total passes (2,672), passes in the opponent’s half (1,958), passes into the final third (414), passes received (2,306), touches (3,191), touches in the opponent’s half (2,224), ball recoveries (254), recoveries in the opponent’s half (109), and dribbles (826).
This season, he is on track to replicate similar statistics. Pedri is showing a Golden Ball version of himself, much like Rodri when he defeated Vinicius. If he further improves his goal-scoring, his place among the Golden Ball contenders in the near future will be unquestionable. Exhausted in the summer of 2021, from EURO to the Olympics, then battling injuries, the miracle has returned with Pedri, accompanied by top-level performances.
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