Pedri’s unique involvement in Barca’s goal vs Atletico Madrid ⭐️
When did Barca play well against Atletico Madrid? The answer is simple - when Pedri was involved on the ball. In the first half he played between the lines, while he played in a deeper position in the second half.
Pedri is one of the best midfielders in the world. He is a generational player. Make no mistake. His involvement for our only goal proves this. He created that goal out of nowhere, although statistics won’t show it. However, I will.
Pedri received the ball from Frenkie. Everyone (including me), expected a pass back to Frenkie based on the information Pedri is sending through the positioning of his body. This is false information used to trick the opponents.
Pedri showed excellent use of La Pausa - Paused the play, drew defenders towards him, moved into the space that opened up. There are very few players in the world that would be able to do this. Messi, possibly? 😅
It’s also a good time to highlight that Xavi’s 3-2-2-3 system made a huge impact for the goal. Gavi’s presence in central areas gave Dembele the space he needed out wide. Both Pedri & Gavi involved in the final third.
Gavi attracts the attention from defenders which gives Dembele space. At the highest level, it’s often small details that decide whether a goal is scored or not. Gavi’s positioning is that detail.
Atletico Madrid defend in a compact low block. To break down their organized defensive system, we require unpredictability. Pedri did exactly that, and Xavi’s system facilitated it through the positioning of the players.
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