With youths Pedri and Gavi flourishing, Sergio Busquets taking over as club captain, and Frenkie de Jong facing an unclear future, Barcelona midfielders have been in the focus this season.
Pedri has been speaking about his time at Barcelona under Xavi and has revealed what the new manager expects from his midfielders.
"Xavi has a very clear notion, model: he knows exactly what each of us has to do: the inside midfielders must be between the lines, the ball must be passed from one side to the other," he stated.
"He tries to instill in us the things he did when he was playing - and it was amazing to watch him do it." Interiores must maintain our stance. If you get out of position, you won't be able to press the manner you need to when you lose the ball: you won't get there. He also wants the interiores to spin around and face the opposing goal."
Pedri didn't stop there when it came to Barcelona's midfield. He also went into greater detail about captain Sergio Busquets' performance in the match.
"He has to hold, attract, and leave someone else alone: we know he can take on five or six people and clean them out." You must be able to draw opponents and go alone," he continued.
"It's having faith in oneself." You don't have time to think, but you do have to believe your abilities, and you can tell when you don't. It takes courage to be physically strong enough to take those risks; it's not easy. It's a different kind of bravery, though. When the game is at its worst in the middle of the field, you must have the confidence to ask for the ball and the trust to keep it.
"Recently, I believe there has been a shift toward the guy who runs rather than the technical player who understands the game. Football is growing more robotic, yet some players continue to defy the law. I still play to have fun. That's what I always do, and it's the most important thing a footballer can do. You're going to play a lot better if you're having fun."
Pedri missed the last months of the 2021-22 season due to a hamstring injury, but in a video he just released on social media, he appears to be in fantastic shape heading into pre-season.
In the new season, Barcelona will be hoping that Pedri can put his injury problems behind him. In 2021-22, the youth only made 12 La Liga matches, yet he did enough to be chosen Barca's MVP by supporters.
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