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Graham Hunter
PedriInjury absence could hardly have come at a worse time barcelona Or spainHowever, for all those arguing that Barça and the reigning European champions are too reliant on their small midfield talent, this is the perfect time to examine the contenders for their throne. This is also a great moment to check how coaches Hansi Flick and Luis de la Fuente try to cope with Pedri in the coming weeks recovered from thigh injury,
Here are the clear facts: Barcelona are five points behind LaLiga leaders real Madrid and outside Champions League The top eight – meaning that if they are still there at the end of the league stage they must enter the playoff round – but they must play Celta Vigo, real daughters, Club Brugge And fifa club world cup Champions chelsea Away from home without their best player this season. In fact, he has arguably been the best midfielder in Europe this season.
Spain, for whom Pedri has been man of the match in each of their last two wins, needs good results on foreign soil Georgia and at home turkey To ensure they win Group E and qualify directly for 2026 FIFA World CupWith a draw (or loss) in Tbilisi, Turkey will go on to win their last two fixtures, including a match against Spain in Seville later this month. La Rosa Finished second in the group and need to sweat it out against the other runners-up next March.
not likely? Yes, but it’s more likely without Pedri.
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If you’re looking at the vivacious, adventurous, delightful Canary Islander who will turn 23 in a few weeks, you might already be nodding in agreement. He is a special footballer; A problem-solver, a chooser of middle ground. Ball loves her so much, she seeks him out. Pedri is a solution-seeker, a player designed to complement the forwards who craves being given the ball in advantageous situations. That’s a cool drink in the desert.
In their first two home games of the season they had 71% of the ball in a 3–0 win against Pedri, with Pedri dictating things in midfield. jetafe And 6-0 in overs Valencia – Their biggest win this season – the figure was 72%. But that was ideal. Even after losing to their superior Madrid classicoFlick’s team had the ball almost 69% of the time at the Bernabeu. This partly explains why the more dangerous, competitive, faster Madrid only scored twice instead of the six or seven they threatened. After all, when you’re beating your rivals you need the ball, even if not a lot of it, to score.
Pedri was absent at the weekend for the home game against newly promoted elcheThe Spanish champions “lost” the possession battle by 49% to 51%. A dramatic decline indeed; Elche used that ball gain to not only score, but also hit the woodwork twice, although they still lost. 3-1 ,Stream replays on ESPN+ in the USElche’s own match report on their official website even stated: “Pedri’s absence forced Frenkie de Jong to ‘extend himself’ and while he tired in the final third of the match, Barcelona were not able to keep the ball, threaten us or play consistently.” His rivals know.
LaLiga lists Pedri as the man who has made the most passes (893) this season despite missing 90 minutes on Sunday. Football publication Marca lists him as the third best in La Liga in terms of “recoveries” (behind alvaro carreras And louis millaeach of whom has played one game more with 65 successes). And in Europe, UEFA Champions League statistics show that Pedri ranks outside the top five midfielders in terms of successful/accurate/completed passes this season (193), but he has a higher pass accuracy (94.3%) than all players who have completed a higher number of passes than him. This means he has been on the pitch more and passed the ball more, but pound-for-pound, Pedri is still the most successful and accurate of any Champions League midfielder this season.
Those who care about Barcelona will cringe at the memory of Xavi’s last season in charge, and how they tried to defend their LaLiga title without Pedri. The midfielder faced three long-term injury absences during the 2023–24 season, causing him to miss 131 days and 25 matches for club and country. barcelona lost both classicos That year – one when he was injured and the other when he returned but was nowhere close to being fully fit.
In fact, when Pedri was either absent or returned to play minor minutes, the number of points surrendered was exactly the same margin by which Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid won the title (10). And to put a ribbon on it all, De La Fuente has only lost two matches lasting 90 minutes as Spain coach (one a Euro 2024 qualifier). scotland and a friendly against Colombia) Both occurred while Pedri was out injured.
coincidence? Judge for yourself.
While Pedri has recovered, he is the natural new partner for De Jong. mark casadoDo you remember that? he had absolutely fantastic help Robert Lewandowski And Rafinha against real Madrid And Bayern Munich at this stage last season – as well as a five-star, man-of-the-match performance on his full debut in a 3-2 win against Spain Switzerland In tenerife.
The 22-year-old Catalan is a far cry from the magician to whom he is his apprentice. He plays as a deep midfielder – someone who remains low on the ball, but is more dedicated to defensive organization. He is clever in the speed of his delivery, and is a Tasmanian devil in the tackle. An all-rounder, Casado is fun to watch and is a staunch fan of the club he plays for.
If selected in the XI, Casado would free up De Jong – or dani olmo, fermin lopez Or mark bernalAll of these midfielders can play as a number 8 in a double pivot – moving forward, breaking lines and linking up with the strikers. This is a big opportunity. One he longs for, and one for which he needed the help of a sports psychologist to wait patiently.
Casado told Mundo Deportivo: “I’m very ambitious, and that can sometimes backfire. You get frustrated and nervous when opportunities to play don’t come to you. My family and friends calmed me down a lot, and finding a sports psychologist helped when I was working my hardest but not getting playing time. That got me quite frustrated.
“In my mind, I kept telling myself that if I’m not getting the opportunity, it’s because I’m not really giving it my all. It’s very frustrating Know That I was giving my all, but at the same time, to hear the subconscious voice saying that I could have given more!
“Working with professional people helped me stay calm because everything does not depend on you. You can give your best, and the coach does not rely on you, does not use you. You have to stay calm in your work and keep doing the same thing.”
I will not yield to anyone in my view that Pedri is a completely different creative force and, on his day, the best midfielder in the world, Casado is truly exceptional. Smart, fast, tough, talented and competitive – so many clubs would be willing to give up Barcelona to get him.
Whether Casado gets enough time to replace others in the Spain national team depends on how fit and available the veteran is. Fabian Ruiz And rodri Difficulties are being faced in the last few months. mikel merino And Martin Zubimendi Olmo and Fermín (now fit) will also be next in line, with Ferm de la Fuente favourite.
Opportunities are emerging for individuals, but there is also a heightened level of uncertainty for Barcelona and Spain. It is time for club and country to demonstrate that, despite appearances to the contrary, they are not at all suffering from dependence on Pedri.
