Over the previous several seasons, FC Barcelona had been all too accustomed with the act of relying on certain players for collective success.
Previously, it was Lionel Messi for a few seasons before his departure, and statistics demonstrate their reliance on a much younger star in recent years.
Pedri, a 20-year-old Barcelona midfielder from the Canary Islands, is a name that most football fans are familiar with. Not only because of his incredible talent, but also as one of the faces of FC Barcelona’s current generation.
His efforts to the Barcelona team have elevated him to one of the most important components for any manager that relies on him. In reality, Barcelona has not won half of the games they have played without the Golden Boy winner in the past two seasons.
Overdependence on Pedri
In terms of statistics, Barcelona has played 45 games without Pedri in the previous two seasons. They have only won 20 of the 45 games they have played, drawing 11 and lost 14.
These figures are further broken down by season, with 15 games played without Pedri last season (2022/23) and 30 prior (2021/22).
Barcelona only won 7 of the 15 games they played without Pedri last season. In the previous season, La Blaugrana won only 13 of the 30 games they played without Pedri.
Barcelona no longer reliant on Pedri
However, as Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo has pointed out, it looks like FC Barcelona is finally moving away from this ‘Pedripendence,’ as MD describes it.
So far this season, the Catalan giants’ prior dependence on Pedri has not been brought into question, and they appear to be doing fine without their 20-year-old Kopa Trophy champion.
Despite missing four games owing to an injury suffered by Pedri during training, Barcelona has won each of them. Barcelona has played four La Liga EA Sports matches and one UEFA Champions League group stage encounter since his injury.
Dominating recent games
Villarreal (4-3), Osasuna (2-1), and Real Betis (5-0) were among the league opponents. The UEFA Champions League match, on the other hand, saw a 5-0 hammering of Belgian club Royal Antwerp.
FC Barcelona’s recent results, in particular, have showed the Catalan giants to be fairly strong even without Pedri. Despite these impressive figures and performances for La Blaugrana, Pedri remains a vital player for Xavi Hernandez going ahead.
Pedri is likely to be one of the first names on the squad sheet when he returns from injury, considering his enormous skill and how precisely his style of play appears to complement how Xavi expects his Barcelona to play.