Ansu Fati's injury has been a blow to Luis Enrique, who is confident of being able to recover the Barcelona player for the European Championship. After this week's matches, the National Team will not reappear for another four months, for the friendlies in March 2021. Just the time Ansu Fati will need to play again, according to the doctors' accounts. Meanwhile, Luis Enrique prepares a plan B in which another Barça player appears as a guest star: Pedri.
The Asturian coach, very reluctant to always talk about those who come from below, has recognized that the Under 21 is the natural quarry of the Absolute. “It is evident that we are very aware of the players of the lower teams and that practically all the Under 21s are potentially eligible for the Absolute”, recognizes Luis Enrique. On Pedri, very cautiously, he went a little further: “He's on our 50-60 player list, and that gives him a chance.” Fati's injury has stopped Luis Enrique's project, which was pending, and excited, with the connection between Ansu and Pedri, whom he sees as the Oliver and Benji of the National Team.
In the Federation they agree that the job of Luis Enrique, after consolidating a game idea, is to build a more or less recognizable 'eleven' and raise the goal statistics, for which he is in favor of increasing the flow of the game. That is where Ansu Fati and Pedri appear, each with a commission. Ansu Fati's was to end up playing as false 9, a position in which he has already tried at Barça and, testimonially, also a few minutes with Spain. Pedri's produce game, make occasions.
But Luis Enrique trusts in the scoring ability of Ansu Fati, whom he sees with a lot of area instinct. To produce the chances he needs there is “a good bunch of midfielders”, but also Pedri, whom Luis Enrique closely follows in his clear progression at Barça, sure that Koeman will bring out the best of the canary and will bring him closer to the National Team. Luis Enrique has decided his letter to the Magi: that Ansu Fati recovers and that Pedri continues to grow as a player.