We all know Pedri is the heartbeat of Barcelona. Almost every move from defence to attack flows through him. He is the most important player in the squad, and here we are going to discuss how Barcelona will or can function without Pedri, as he is now injured for a month. But before discussing that, first let’s see what Pedri really does for Barcelona and why he is so important for the club.
Pedri is naturally a player known for his dribbling and chance-creation ability. However, due to the lack of a proper CDM, Hansi Flick has played him much deeper, a role to which he needed to adapt. Not only did he adapt, but he also became one of the best ball-winning midfielders under pressure in the world.
His ability to play deep provides much more resilience to this Barcelona team.
He is the player with the most touches on the ball, and he also carries the ball into the final third before delivering the pass that leads to the creation of the final ball for a goal. This pass is commonly referred to as a “pre-assist” in modern football analytics. Barcelona are a team that likes to dominate games through possession, and when it comes to maintaining control of the ball, Pedri thrives. He is the player who enjoys the most possession among all Barcelona players.
If we compare other players who play in the same position as Pedri, we can see very close similarities with several of them, such as Zubimendi and Vitinha, who are also at the top of their game. However, at Barcelona, there is no player who truly comes close to Pedri except Frenkie de Jong.
Frenkie de Jong not only matches Pedri in many aspects but is also superior to him in certain attributes. For me, the priority should be finding a solution to cover Pedri’s absence by using Frenkie. If Frenkie plays in Pedri’s role, then Barcelona have players like Marc Casadó and Eric García who can step in to fill Frenkie’s position.
As I said in my video, in my opinion the midfield duo that will play in the absence of Pedri is Frenkie de Jong and Eric García. With Pedri out, Marc Bernal and Marc Casadó should also get more minutes in the squad.
The fixture run for the next month is not too demanding for Barcelona until Pedri returns, but after that there will be a series of games where his presence will be absolutely crucial.
Do let me know what your thoughts are and also check out my youtube video on the same:
