Barcelona: Pedri’s situation raises concerns over a possible burnout

Barcelona’s eye startling starlet Pedri has been running non-stop over the whole calendar year. It is all very fascinating, but with is a hint of concern.

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Astonishingly, the 18-year-old central midfielder has taken the meaning of overworking to a whole new level. The youngster has unbelievably played more games than any other player in Europe this season!

Incredible numbers for the starlet of Barcelona

Statistically speaking, since the start of the season, Pedri has played in 66 matches representing his club and country. He has played 629 minutes out of Spain’s Euro campaign of 630 minutes. He had registered 91% accurate passing. Not only that, but he also remarkably covered the most distance than any other Spanish player.

In the words of Gregg Popovich, Pedri is being used like a bar of soap until there is nothing left. It brings us to our main concern over the player- a real possibility of burning out by next season’s resumption. Playing in a Barcelona shirt is not easy, by any stretch of the imagination. The high octane-based football demands and drains a lot out from the best players.

Not knowing when to stop could hurt such a young player who should not have played his extra part at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Neither the boss Ronald Koeman nor the Barcelona management was pleased with Pedri’s decision to continue with his national side despite providing his best output during the previous tournament.

"“I understand the excitement the players have, but the calendar is very stacked and we’ve got to be careful of them,” -Koeman H/T Marca."

Since September 3, 2020, the player has not taken a break. He averages to have played one game in every 5th day. From a physicality standpoint- that is not only dangerous but also very foolish. Going by his work rate, he has become a key player for both Barcelona and Spain.

He has not let anybody down yet, but the Olympics could have been avoided, with plenty of replacements readily available for Spain. Playing in a string of games with traveling thousands of miles in between them would have affected any other player by now. It is only Pedri’s first-ever season at this level of cutthroat competition.

Whether the 18-year-old gets a summer break after he returns to Camp Nou will be interesting to see. Barcelona starts their La Liga campaign on August 15, but the Dutch coach would likely allow his young star a much-needed breather when he returns.