22-year-old Barcelona star proving to be a complete midfielder with incredible ball recovery numbers in La Liga | OneFootball

FC Barcelona secured a place in the final of the Copa del Rey with their 0-1 win over Atletico Madrid in the second leg of the semi-final tie on Wednesday.

This win was just another manifestation of the very good season that the Blaugranes are having, as Hansi Flick has created an unstoppable team that is on a 21-game unbeaten run and have scored 140 goals in 46 total matches this season.

One of the aspects of their game that has allowed the Catalans to be so dominant on the pitch is their propensity to start pressing the opponents right after losing the ball.

In this regard, Pedri has been an essential part of the team, which is clear from a report by Mundo Deportivo which highlights that the Canarian is the player with the highest number of recoveries in the opposition half in La Liga this season.

The Barcelona star has 76 recoveries in opposition half to his name, a number significantly higher than his pursuers in this table, i.e., Athletic Club’s Mikel Jauregizar (54), Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde (52), Osasuna’s Lucas Torro (47), Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi (44), and Real Betis’ Sergi Altimira (43).

Along with his technical ability and creativity, which has never been in doubt, this statistic goes on to show how complete a midfielder the Canary Islander has become this season.

His incredible performances this season are clear from the fact that he has been the recipient of the Man of the Match award for 8 of the last 10 La Liga games he has played.

Under Hansi Flick, Pedri has seen his positioning on the pitch move a bit deeper, which allows him to have more contact with the ball and initiate attacking plays, while also contributing to defensive aspects of the game, like recovering balls high up the pitch.

Thus, he has been essential for Flick, both with and without the ball, and hopefully, he will continue to play at this level as the season approaches its business end.