Pedri had been asking for a break for a long time. His last games reflected that the young midfielder I was beginning to suffer from symptoms of fatigue after the enormous effort that accumulated this season. He is one of the players most used by Ronald Koeman, to the point that no call has been lost, being the starter 36 times of the 49 official games that we have in this course, almost 75%. And also, in those who have been on the bench, he has jumped onto the field in all but one, waiting for what happens today against Granada.
There is no doubt that such wear ends up taking its tollEven for an 18-year-old who has not had a problem with injuries. Pedri is also a player who tends to work hard on pressure without the ball, so his game suffers notably when the forces begin to weaken.
Hence Koeman, with good judgment, has decided to give him rest today and let the game begin on the bench. Fifteen games later, Pedri will not be in the starting lineup. To see the last time the talented midfielder starts a match as a substitute, you have to go back to past 13 of frebero against Alavés at Camp Nou (5-1). Since that day, he has run a total of fourteen consecutive starts in all competitions.
In any case, your substitute in the core, to accompany Sergio Busquets and De Jong, he is also pressing very hard. And it is that the young man Ilaix Moriba has landed in the first team to stay, being already ahead of other more veteran players such as Pjanic or Riqui Puig in Koeman's preferences.