Koeman slipped this Thursday that Pedri has lowered the level one point. Can be. The 18-year-old from the Canary Islands has played much more than expected in his rookie season in LaLiga, and he has had some signs of fatigue in recent games. Insultingly young as he is, he can be saturated. The Pedri of the present is important, but at Barça they are also aware that burning the boy with a view to the future would be counterproductive. Koeman will have to verify the exact physical condition of the player to determine to what extent he should use it in the last days of the League.
Pedri has played 3,145 minutes this season with the Barça shirt, to which we must add the 167 that he played with the Under-21 and the 185 that he has already played under Luis Enrique in the senior team. Everything has gone at the speed of light for a player who began training on August 12 at the Ciutat Esportiva while the first team travels to Lisbon to play against Bayern in the match of shame. From being loan meat, Pedri quickly convinced Koeman and stayed in the first team. And after rearing his head shyly in the opening days, Koeman gave him the starting jersey after his exhibition in Turin.
Pedri has done everything Koeman asked of him. And all good. He first played as a midfielder or in a band at 4-2-3-1. Then when Koeman went to 4-3-3, he lowered his position a bit as De Jong overtook him. He became the brain of the team. In emergency situations, he has also played in the double pivot when Koeman has returned by obligation to 4-2-3-1, as in Granada. And now, with the 3-4-1-2, he has alternated a more delayed position with some playmaker moments. His understanding with Messi has been one of the beautiful moments of the season. It can be said that the canary was one of the first to return the Argentine smile with his magical assists in Valladolid and Bilbao.
To his football, which is a lot, Pedri has added an imposing physical display. Solidarity, he has been able to save goals by crashing against the post, as against Real Sociedad. He is smart on the field, but also very altruistic. ANDIt is possible that his body is saying enough, although Koeman does not have any such player on the team and it is possible that he is going to be forced to squeeze it. He is a key piece in the gear of Barça. But you have to take care of Pedri. Seeing these symptoms of fatigue, it is easy to think that playing Eurocup and Games as it was his dream will have been put out of his head. It seems too much. If not, surely Barça will remind him.