Although Barcelona secured a crucial 2-1 victory over Girona in La Liga thanks to a late goal by Ronald Araujo, midfielder Pedri remained dissatisfied with the team's overall performance.
In this match, Pedri was the one who opened the scoring with a precise run and finish. However, Barcelona failed to control the game as expected. Axel Witsel took advantage of the Blaugrana defense's lapse in concentration to equalize with a beautiful strike. Just when it seemed Barca would have to settle for a draw at their home Olympic stadium, defender Ronald Araujo appeared at the right moment to score a decisive header in the final minute, securing a hard-fought 3 points.
Yet, this victory was not enough to satisfy Pedri. Speaking after the match, the Spanish midfielder openly stated: "I am not happy with my own performance, and even less satisfied with the team’s overall display."
Pedri emphasized: "We need to improve many things, especially our pressing ability . This is the second consecutive match where I’ve seen our pressing being poor. When your pressing is weak and your defense pushes up, the opponent only needs a simple pass to face the goalkeeper."
The Barca star also admitted that the team’s attacking form is not yet at last season’s level: "With the ball at our feet, we lack speed and fail to create enough chances. But the positive side is that we are still trying to improve, and at least today we got 3 points."
The win over Girona allowed Barcelona to temporarily overtake Real Madrid and lead the La Liga table, but clearly, Hansi Flick’s squad still has a lot to work on if they want to compete for titles. Issues with team spacing, lack of decisiveness in pressing, and finishing matches efficiently are repeatedly putting Barca in difficult situations.
Following this match, Barcelona will quickly shift focus to the Champions League. They will host Olympiakos at home on October 21. Based on Pedri’s comments, fans have reason to hope that his warnings will serve as a catalyst for the team to make significant improvements soon.