"The mastermind behind the victory": "The maestro" Pedri shines on the night of the win over Atletico Madrid
Barça turn the tables on Atlético
Pedri earned lavish praise after Barcelona's La Liga clash with Atletico Madrid on Sunday, a game the Blaugrana edged 2-1.
Fermin Lopez scored both of Barcelona's goals as Lamine Yamal ran Atletico's defence ragged. But it was Pedri who drew the biggest plaudits, this time from Santi Nolla, editor-in-chief of "Mundo Deportivo".
Under the headline "Maestro Pedri", Nolla devoted a whole column to the midfielder's display.
The text of the article was as follows:
Barcelona struck a powerful blow in the race for the league title in the second half at the Wanda Metropolitano, achieving a hard-fought win over a strong Atletico Madrid who had controlled the course of the first half.
Two Barcelona players shone: Fermin Lopez, who scored both of the winning goals, and Lamine, who dazzled in the Blaugrana's attack, creating chances, dribbling past defenders, and making goals.
But the mastermind behind this victory was Pedri, the player who led the attack in the second half, in the absence of Rodri, with the participation of De Jong, who came on as a substitute, at right-back.
Any stumble before the break would have represented a major setback, but Barcelona turned the tables and maintained their lead and confidence in their performance.
He was not present in the first half, in which Atletico dominated and deserved a better result. Both full-backs were unable to cope with Atletico's defence (and Flick was forced to substitute them).
Brian could not get past the outstanding Baena, and Cancelo failed to adjust his defensive plan.
The main problem was weak pressing. In the first half hour, Barcelona suffered badly, lagging behind Simeone's team, who dropped back a little.
Fermin's goal in the final minutes of the first half was decisive. Barcelona heading to the dressing rooms level after that first half was a gift.
After the break, Barcelona adjusted their pressing effectively, the build-up of attacks improved with De Jong moving into the full-back position, and Pedri began to show his control, command and leadership, demanding every ball. Christensen came on to neutralise Sorloth, and Gerard Martin returned to his original position as left-back, within an organised and cohesive team that understood the key to winning was possession of the ball.
They succeeded in that, with strong support from all the players, aware of the need to rest and not to take risks.
The Dutchman moved into midfield with Eric coming on, reinforcing the full-back position defensively and midfield in possession.
Barcelona managed the final minutes skilfully, something they had not been able to do in other important matches, showing that they had benefited from past experiences.
Fermin shone in front of goal, Lamine provided wonderful touches, and Pedri stood out in leading the team.
