Back at the top: Pedri reclaims his throne as the best midfielder in the world | OneFootball

While thinking about the sheer efficiency of Hansi Flick’s Barcelona, it is important to address the proficiency of certain player profiles that decide the height of its potency.

A number of players do come to mind – a runner in Raphinha, a lethal target-man in Robert Lewandowski, a creator supreme in Lamine Yamal and an anchor in Marc Casado.

But after looking at Barcelona’s performances this season, it is evident how none of them would be able to contribute as much as they do without a controller general in Pedri Gonzalez.

As high-tempo as Flick’s football is, Pedri is the link across the pitch that keeps the side ticking and in control.

Such high is his impact, that games where Pedri doesn’t see much of the ball or is lost between the end-to-end chaos that characteristically creeps into Barcelona’s performance these days, the team looks deft of all composure.

In fact, the strings he continues to pull this season come from a rather unfamiliar territory, earning deserved plaudits for his performances in this Barcelona side.

Once again operating at a high level after a few injury-plagued seasons, Pedri once again finds himself in shouts for the crown of the best midfielder in the world.

It is a recognition that fans of the club have come to rejoice and one that is starting to dawn upon those of the opposition as they are left bedazzled by the magic he wields by the ball at his feet.

It’s time to give Pedri his laurels.

Back in business

Under Hansi Flick, Pedri has been playing some of the best football of his career. Physically, he looks in the best shape of his life and Barcelona are reaping massive rewards for it.

In the years prior, while his reliability was never in doubt, it was his availability that let him down.

During his debut season, Pedri played a starring role in guiding Barcelona to a Copa del Rey triumph, forming a telepathic connection with Lionel Messi and announcing himself as one of the best attacking midfielders on the planet.

Pedri’s fitness woes are a thing of the past now. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

But for all of his brilliance as a 17-year-old, Pedri put an unimaginable load on his young body. After a draining season with Barcelona, Pedri was put on a plane to the Euros where he dominated the headlines once again for Spain.

It was his decision to represent his country at the Olympics too a few weeks after that pulled the stops on his young career. Exhausted beyond repair, Pedri suffered from the consequences for seasons after.

He continued to show glimpses of his best version in the seasons in between, but fitness issues often held him back. It was only after Hansi Flick and his staff arrived in the summer that Pedri rediscovered his fitness and hit top form.

The intense training sessions with a huge emphasis on physical work have the Spanish midfielder grooving like his vintage self, rendering himself available to play consistently and for long.

So much so, he has been involved in every game so far this season recording almost 16 full games in the 19 league games played so far as he remains critical to Flick’s setup at Barcelona.

But the difference lies in the care placed by the staff in his health – subbing him off at the end of games or giving him a breather every now and then – that keeps Pedri fresh and available for selection.

Still only 22, Pedri has years of football to play for. If the midfielder can keep himself out of the medical room, Barcelona fans have a reason to celebrate and a talent to admire for long as they can.

Pedri 2.0

If there is a rejuvenation of Barcelona’s philosophy and playing style, there is likely to have been a revamp of Pedri too.

While his fitness has been vastly improved, so have Pedri’s performances over the past few months. And a lot of it is down to the new role Flick has curated for him.

In the early days of his Barcelona career, Pedri was regularly fielded higher up the pitch as an advanced playmaker. While it brought Pedri’s chance creation ability to the fore, the supply to him between the lines could be restricted, reducing him to a mere passenger.

It was a problem that almost every Barcelona side since his arrival hadn’t quite been able to solve.

Flick though, recognised Pedri’s skillset and ability to control games from deep. So, instead of fielding him in the No. 10 role, he has deployed him alongside Marc Casado in Barcelona’s double pivot.

This change allows Barcelona to counter their very setup of suffocating opposition up the pitch used against them.

Pedri 2.0 is a thing of beauty. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

One of the most press-resistant players in the game, Pedri’s awareness and close control are key to dictating the build-up from the back when the opposition aims to curb the team’s forays further forward.

His presence in the first phase of the buildup allows Barcelona to keep the ball, impose control over the game and sustain their attacks. It is a crucial part of Flick’s tactics or any Barcelona team for that matter, against high-quality opposition.

Case in point, during Barcelona’s match against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, if it wasn’t for Pedri grabbing the game by the scruff of its neck and dictating proceedings when the Bavarians threatened to raze down the defence, things could have turned out differently.

The same responsibility and talent were on show against the likes of Borussia Dortmund and especially arch-rivals Real Madrid where Pedri dominated the centre of the field and allowed Barcelona to not be dragged into a mud war of to-and-fro football.

As for Los Blancos, it can’t be forgotten how crucial Barcelona’s No. 8 was in ensuring both El Clasicos were embarrassingly one-sided.

Even in games that simply didn’t turn out as the team may have hoped, with the one versus Atletico Madrid still very much fresh in the memory, where Barcelona put in their best performance of the season, Pedri still grabbed the headlines.

All because the 2021 Golden Boy put on his golden boots and decided to put on a show of extreme class and composure that transcends mere footballing ability.

Simply put, Pedri is Barcelona’s best player on the ball. The more the number of touches he could caress the ball with, there is a better and enhanced sense of control and quality about Barcelona’s play.

The 22-year-old is so ridiculously elite that he could and would mould a certain game-state to suit the needs of the team.

But this isn’t even the most eye-catching thing about him right now.

The surprising, and probably the best part about Pedri’s resurgence, is the strides he has made in the defensive department.

Now operating deeper on the field, Pedri’s responsibilities to cover the space and win duels in midfield weigh equally to that of his work on the ball. It is a task that has been assigned to him in Flick’s midfield that Pedri is executing to perfection.

Running the show for Barcelona. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

He runs the most in this team and helps out his full-backs with an incredible determination that highlights his immense work-rate in midfield. Yet another advantage of Pedri’s surge in fitness.

Flick likes his midfield to be all-action, all-conquering and Pedri has heeded to his demands rather passionately.

We all were aware of the flow of creativity that Pedri has, his ability to pick a pass or glide through the pitch, but the fact he has been able to do that and some more in this new role is a testament to his revolution.

Combine that with his intensity and desire to work for the team and run himself into the ground, fans are looking at one of the most ridiculously complete players in the world who is also a top ranker in his field.

Statistical Evidence

Even though players like Pedri cannot be simply defined in statistical terms, his resurgence is unsurprisingly backed by them. As expected, Pedri is one of the leaders in every department concerning his performance on the ball.

Looking at the key highlights, the Canary Islander finds himself in the 93rd percentile for progressive passes and subsequently in 92nd percentile for shot-creating actions, underlining his creative forces, even from a deeper position.

The Pedri revolution, however, can be further concluded from his numbers in other metrics of the game. For starters, Pedri is one of the players to have covered the most distance, especially in the Champions League where he is in the Top 30 for the metric.

Even his defensive actions have shown strides of emergence. While the Spanish midfielder is in the 77th percentile for successful tackles, what’s might impressive is his anticipation, registering a mighty 95th percentile for passes blocked.

To top it all, Pedri finds himself in the 85th percentile for recovery of possession, an incredible piece of stat ranking him first in the league in the department that all but confirms a higher ceiling achieved by Pedri under Hansi Flick.

A bright future

If anything, the way Pedri has been playing this season, he should very well be considered in the class of key players so paramount for the ‘Flicki-Flaka’ to work.

The present and future of Barcelona. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

Not to sound poetic, but Pedri is the point of difference. An off-day at work for him or a tactically caged No. 8 broods trouble for Barcelona, who are understandably reliant on the magic and work ethic of one of the best players in the world.

Pedri’s overhaul as a central midfielder has been so immense, that former better suited players like Frenkie de Jong and Gavi are finding it difficult to make their mark since returning from their respective injuries.

Considering the fact that Pedri has developed an amazing connection with his partner Casado and linked up supremely with Dani Olmo, it is a midfield trio that has served Barcelona well and will continue to be called upon as the club strives for greater heights this season.

Succumbed to his injuries, tales of Pedri’s greatness and talent were almost lost to the oblivion and players like Jude Bellingham were adjudged to be the standard of an elite-level midfielder in his absence.

No offence to the Englishman, but now that he is back, stronger and sharper than ever, Pedri is reminding everyone of what it meant to be a ‘centrocampista’, making fans and opposition alike fall in love with the elegance of old and the class of the evergreen.

Football is meant to be enjoyed. To entertain. And watching Pedri glide through the trimmed green is perhaps one of the biggest joys of football there is.

Simply the best in the business.