Barcelona’s emphatic 5-0 victory at Mestalla sent a strong message in La Liga.
Pedri was among the scorers yesterday, and the midfielder said in the post-match comments that the team’s mindset is not limited to domestic success.
“We’re raring to go: we’re going for every title,” Pedri said.
The size of the victory may have surprised some given Valencia’s current institutional problems, but Pedri insisted Barcelona could not afford to take the occasion lightly.
“We attach great importance to this; you might say it’s an easy match, but it’s never that here,” he warned.
Pedri welcomes Rodri partnership
Pedri also addressed one of the tactical questions surrounding Barcelona following Rodri Hernández’s arrival.
There has been debate over whether the two midfielders can operate effectively together, but Pedri sees no problem.
“People always say that Rodri and I don’t work well together, but the truth is that it’s very comfortable playing with him; we’re going to understand each other very well,” he predicted.
His goal against Valencia added another dimension to Barcelona’s attacking threat, although Pedri was quick to stress that the responsibility for scoring does not rest on one player.
“It’s great that I’m scoring goals, but the fact is we’ve got plenty of goalscorers up front: Raphinha, Fermín, Gabriel Jesus…”
Pedri’s evening ended with an unexpected show of affection from the Mestalla crowd. The midfielder was applauded when he was substituted and responded warmly to the reception.
“It’s lovely to be applauded at an away ground; that’s really nice… I wish Valencia the best of luck this season,” he said.
Gerard Martin takes the stage
Gerard Martin shared Pedri’s focus on the Champions League, praising Barcelona’s mentality after a five-goal performance that also produced a clean sheet.
“We’re already looking forward to the Champions League. For any footballer, Champions League matches are something to look forward to,” said the defender.
Barcelona’s refusal to ease off after taking control of the match was particularly encouraging for the defender.
“Even if we’re two or three goals ahead, we always want more. Scoring so many goals whilst keeping a clean sheet shows that we don’t let our guard down as a team.
“There’s a lot of versatility both at the back and up front. This creates a ‘surprise effect’ for the opposition. We vary our approach during the course of a single match,” he analysed.
Lastly, the appearances of Rodri and Gabriel Jesus provided an early glimpse of the depth Barcelona can call upon this season.
Rodri started, while Gabriel Jesus made his debut for the club, giving Hansi Flick two more high-level options.
“They’re two world-class players; I’m sure they’ll bring a lot to the team,” Gerard Martin concluded.
Source: Mundo Deportivo
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