Barcelona midfield maestro leads Champions League in key stat this season

Barcelona midfield maestro leads Champions League in key stat this season Hansi Flick’s Barcelona are one of the best attacking teams in Europe and tend to score a lot of goals. The likes of Raphinha and Lamine Yamal often appear on the scoresheet and they are ably supported by an ensemble cast. The midfield is extremely crucial to the number of chances Barcelona create and no one is more central to this than Pedri. The Canary Islander can spot runs before anyone else realises and he also has the vision and technique to play the perfect pass. He has created five big chances in the Champions League this season, the highest tally of any player in the competition Pedri has done this despite having played just 266 minutes across four appearances, less than three full games. Pedri setting the standard for creativity in Europe The 23-year-old is averaging an impressive 1.69 big chances created per 90 minutes, demonstrating how frequently he is unlocking opposition defences. His tally places him comfortably ahead of some of the other best creative midfielders in the sport. What makes the Spaniard’s achievements even more remarkable is the fact that he doesn’t play in the positions of a traditional attacking midfielder. Despite playing much deeper in a double pivot, the 23-year-old has no issues creating chances at an astonishing rate. He is often the midfielder who drops deep to collect the ball from the defence and also the player who releases the attackers. Barcelona benefiting from Pedri’s vision Barcelona’s recent 3-0 Champions League victory over Aston Villa was another demonstration of just how good Pedri can be as a creative spoke. With players such as Yamal, Raphinha and Karim Adeyemi offering pace and movement in attacking areas, Pedri has several options whenever he receives the ball between the lines. In previous seasons, the attackers have been guilty of missing a number of goals from the chances that the midfielder has created. Pedri has been imperious in the Champions League. (Photo by Franco Arland/Getty Images) This season though, the efficiency of the attacking stars has improved, which makes Pedri appear much more often on the scoresheet with assists. For Barcelona, Pedri is the glue that helps the system tick. Having all the talented attackers in the world is of no use without chance creation behind them. Pedri, Dani Olmo and Rodri are all capable of taking responsibility in this regard and play the perfect passes to their forwards. Five big chances created in limited minutes is an exceptional return, but this is just the start and it remains to be seen how Pedri fares over the course of the season.