Pedri is broken again: Barcelona star’s injury problems are a real worry

The sight of Pedri traipsing off the San Mamés pitch in tears on Sunday night was sadly no real surprise.

He was an absolutely brilliant midfield player for the club a few seasons back but to be honest, we’ve not seen that form consistently enough recently.

Is it wrong to say so? Probably.

Though no one would be more pleased than I if the 21-year-old could recapture the form of old.

The real fear is that it’s long gone though and we will never see that Pedri again, in the same way that Ansu Fati will likely never again be the same player he was.

Both have suffered from the weight of expectation being placed on their shoulders far too early, and that’s as good a warning as any to Lamine Yamal in particular.

Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images

We can trace Pedri’s issues back to the 2020/21 season. Never injured before then, his 5,000+ minutes have since seen him miss 71 matches with nine different injuries.

A thigh injury – the third time this season he’s suffered a problem in that area – is likely to see the youngster miss the next few weeks at best, or the rest of the season and possibly the European Championship at worst.

Though it would’ve been unthinkable prior to this season, moving Pedri on this summer wouldn’t necessarily be the seismic, earth-shattering decision of old.

Whilst the invention and flair remain intact and it still looks as beautiful as always, the speed of thought and execution has largely disappeared and matches are beginning to pass him by.

It can’t be said that he’s a game changer these days and whilst that isn’t necessarily his fault because he is giving of his best, it’s another issue for the club to consider.

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Just because someone is the right ‘fit,’ if they’re hardly ever available to play (ditto Ansu again), they are of little use to the club, as harsh as that may sound.

Particularly in their current predicament Barca are not a charity and places can’t be held open indefinitely.

If the club really want to get back to the very top domestically and in Europe then sometimes, frankly, difficult decisions have to be made in order to move forward.

Can Pedri be replaced? No. There simply isn’t a player like him. Is that enough of a reason to keep him though if injuries are going to see him sidelined for long periods?

Are the backroom and medical staff to blame? Quite possibly.

Regardless, if he can’t stay fit, he’s keeping hold of a squad place that could be handed out elsewhere. And that is a real problem for Barcelona.