Ten recoveries in the final third – €80m Barcelona star is now a different player under Hansi Flick | OneFootball

Almost one and a half months into the 2024-25 season, Hansi Flick has already been able to instill a different playing style in this FC Barcelona team. This change in the team’s approach is clear from the way the team plays on the pitch, but the role and style of some individual players are also seemingly changing.

As Mundo Deportivo has noted, this is clearly the case with the 21-year-old midfielder Pedri. Previously a player who stood out mainly with his precise passing and intelligence on the pitch, he is also playing a very prominent defensive role this season.

In fact, he is already the midfielder with the highest number of ball recoveries in advanced positions in Europe. Up to now, the Spaniard has 10 recoveries in the final third in 10 appearances. In this regard, he stands higher than the likes of Florian Wirtz and Dominik Szoboszlai, who both have 8 recoveries to their names.

Last season, Pedri had 17 ball recoveries in the final three-quarters of the pitch in 34 appearances. Thus, if he maintains his current rate, the Canary Islander is sure to surpass this figure as the season progresses.

Furthermore, his ball recoveries are not only limited to the final third, as he is also the Barcelona player who recovers the ball the most in the entire opposition half, with 37 recoveries up to now. This is one more than Kounde, who has 36, and 6 more than Casado’s 31 recoveries.

Throughout the pitch, the €80m-rated midfield star has 55 ball recoveries to his name and thus stands fourth among his teammates in this regard. Kounde leads this ranking with 89 recoveries.

In addition to increasing the number of his recoveries, Pedri has also significantly decreased the number of fouls that he commits. This is a testament to the way the team is responding to Flick’s changed methods.