MADRID, 12 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
FC Barcelona midfielder Pedri González faces his second Euro Cup after experiencing a season with his club full of setbacks in the form of injuries, but finding continuity and his best level of play just a few days before the ‘Roja’s’ first match against Croatia in Berlin.
The Tegueste midfielder, on the verge of what will be his second Euro Cup with the national team, wants to once again be the Pedri of Euro 2020, where, at 18 years old, he emerged as the beacon of a great Spain. Luis Enrique, then national coach, handed him the baton of the Spanish game, and the young Barcelona player responded with an outstanding tournament. Spain was on the verge of reaching the final and Pedri was named ‘Best Young Player’ of the tournament.
But that would not be the only international tournament in which Pedri would participate that summer. After the continental tournament, the Barça player traveled to Tokyo to play in the Olympic football tournament, in which the Canarian’s symptoms of fatigue were evident. Despite this, he participated in all the matches of the tournament in which he ended up winning the silver medal. But, despite the collective and individual successes, that summer would be the beginning of an ordeal of injuries for him.
From the start of the 2021-2022 season to the present, Pedri has missed 85 games with FC Barcelona, 83 of them due to muscle problems, all of them in the quadriceps of his right leg. Especially striking were the 21 games that he played in that first post-Games season. A lack of continuity has caused the best version of the midfielder to not appear on a recurring basis. Furthermore, these injuries have also affected his participation with the national team.
Thus, in the period between the European Championship and the World Cup in Qatar, Pedri was only able to participate in three of the eight qualifying matches for the World Cup event. Despite this, he arrived at the World Cup in full condition and, under the orders of Luis Enrique, he started all four games. Furthermore, his level seemed to herald that the doubts regarding the injuries had already been forgotten.
Nothing is further from reality. Pedri would break his right leg again after the event, missing around 100 days of competition that same year. In fact, his minutes against Morocco in the round of 16 of the World Cup would be his last in the national team’s shirt until this month of June. In total, 18 months without Spain enjoying the magic of young talent, which Luis de la Fuente has not been able to count on during his time until last week’s friendly against Andorra.
And after a sea of doubts with his physical condition and three injuries later, Wednesday, April 10, became one of the key dates in Pedri’s 2023-24 season. After missing 25 games due to injury, he reappeared in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against Paris Saint-Germain. 30 minutes of play were enough for Pedri to leave his mark on the game with a great assist to Raphinha.
But, despite his good minutes, his continuity in the lineups had to wait more than a month. Tegueste’s player was having a hard time finding that rhythm and fluidity in his game that make him one of the most special players in Spain, a fact that even questioned his presence on the national team’s list. However, his league final was optimal with a double against Rayo Vallecano after 30 brilliant minutes from the bench and a great game against Sevilla at the Sánchez-Pizjuán.
THE IMPORTANCE OF LUIS DE LA FUENTE
“What Pedri needs is to meet Pedri and we are going to help him,” Luis de la Fuente warned after including him in the pre-list of 29 players. And against Andorra and Northern Ireland, friendly matches to prepare for the Euro Cup, the Tenerife native started. In the first of them, Barça’s ‘8’ played 61 minutes of play at a good level that were overshadowed by the debut of his club teammate, Fermín López, who burst into the game with two assists.
But it would be against Northern Ireland when he showed clear signs that his best level was getting closer and at the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix he had a great game, commanding the Spanish comeback with a double, the first of them with a hit from the front. with his right leg. Furthermore, Pedri created a chance, won 100% of his duels and only missed two passes. An outstanding performance that excites even the most pessimistic about his return to his best level.
And, beyond the 120 minutes of good level played, Pedri arrives at the European Championship in Germany on his best streak of consecutive games played since October 2022. In total, he has had 12 consecutive games without injuries, which have come just in the final stretch of the season, which means that, on a physical level, he arrives much less punished and fresher than his teammates.
A level of football and confidence cemented by the affection given by Luis de la Fuente, who had no problem taking care of and treating the Barça ‘crack’ in a different way since he arrived at the position. At all times, despite his injuries, Pedri has been present in the coach’s mouth in each call-up. In fact, the player himself has acknowledged that when he was injured, the player from Haro called him to show confidence and support him in his recovery.
The Rioja coach also had no problem being the first to give the message to the press: “Pedri is back.” And it is that De la Fuente is clear that Pedri is differential in his scheme, in which his position on the field goes from being so organizational to being much closer to the completion of the play, perhaps similar to what Luis Aragonés did with Xavi Hernandez. A role to which the player seems to have adapted perfectly and which allows him to improve his scoring ability and his ability to make that much-needed final pass, something that Xavi Hernández had already worked on.
Thus, and with Pedri’s own optimistic message to the media, the Euro Cup seems to be placed on the calendar at the best possible moment for the Canarian, who will want to vindicate himself and once again demonstrate that he is among the best midfielders in the world.
2024-06-12 09:20:47
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