Villarreal were right in the game at 2-1 after Pape Gueye scored four minutes into the second half, and they had the momentum on their side. However, midfielder Santi Comesana believes this disappeared when Hansi Flick introduced Pedri into the action, as he told the media after the match (via MD).
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“Pedri calmed everything down, he took the ball away from us. With Pedri the game stopped being back and forth. Barça had much longer possessions, they didn’t run after the ball. He filtered the pass for the third goal that broke three defensive lines, and there we gave in a little. We tried but we no longer had conviction.”
Image via Alex Caparrós/Getty Images
Comesana: Stopping players like Lamine Yamal is difficult
Comesana also gave a lot of credit to Lamine Yamal for his performance, understanding that left back Sergi Cardona had a torrid afternoon at the Spotify Camp Nou thanks to the Barcelona player.
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“He has the habit of playing great games against us. Sergi (Cardona) had the help of Moleiro, but stopping players like that is very difficult. The second goal, for me, is a great goal. Furthermore, in the other two he defines very well. But he has also faced us constantly.”
Lamine Yamal may be Barcelona’s best offensive threat, but there are many who see Pedri as their most important player. The fact that he is back after a month out through injury is fantastic news for the Catalans, who need him to help reverse Atlético Madrid’s four-goal lead in the Copa del Rey semi-final, which resumes on Tuesday.