Pedro doesn’t receive the same praises as Messi, Xavi or Iniesta do. That’s better, he doesn’t like to feel the main character and Guardiola knows it. “He has a really bad time, he’s embarrassed. He doesn’t feel comfortable in this situation”, stated the Barça coach just after the fixture against Real Sociedad. The player from the Canary Islands didn’t score against the Basque team eight days ago, but he was one of the most standing out players of his team. After last Saturday’s match in Cornellá, Pedro can’t find in his mates a refuge to hide from all the people’s glances or to become lost of all the praises.
The player from the Academy was the best at the Espanyol stadium. He was decisive in the result with the goal that opened the scoreboard and with the third, which closed the match, and very important in all his moves. “His match speaks for itself. The solidarity and intensity of the forwards is important, they help the midfielders a lot”, said Guardiola last Saturday. The coach is right in one tip. Pedro recovered five balls, one more than Puyol and he lost only one. Only the rest of defenders, Alves, Piqué and Abidal, along with Busquets, were better than the player from the Canary Islands in this aspect. “I’m pleased with my game and the level of my team”, admitted Pedro after the derby. That’s the least he can do.
With the two goals scored last Saturday, he already adds up six in the League and twelve in all the competitions. But until the tenth day of the championship, with the 0-3 at the minute 64 which closed Barça’s triumph against Getafe, the forward form the Canary Islands didn’t got to open his scoring account. The record man, the goal scorer in all the competitions played and won by Barça in 2009, didn’t have the unanimous recognition and some people saw in his lack of goals the beginning of his gradual disappearance of the team. But Guardiola and the rest of his mates knew that he was not short-lived.
“He’s not a ten, but an eleven player. A treasure for any team”, stated Guardiola at one time. Despite he’s still far from his last season’s figures (23 goals in general, 12 in League), Pedro continued as a regular in the team and nowadays his figures show his importance within the Barça game despite of the goals. He’s played all League matches this season, five Champions League matches and also the two played in the Spanish King’s Cup against the modest Ceuta, of Second division B. His reunion with the goal has coincided, by chance or not, with the definitive boost of the team this season. He’s part of the starting eleven and has participated actively in the hammers against Almería, Real Madrid, Osasuna and Espanyol.
When thinking about the typical player from the Canary Islands, one could think about calm, liking for the ball, touch of the ball and refined pass. About the reflection of the Islands’ sunny soul. About Valerón. But Pedro goes far from any stereotype and also from any possible qualification of a football player. Unpredictable when slipping his markers, always timely and more devoted than most for the team work, he is in charge of showing, day by day that he’s an essential player for Guardiola’s Barça. If there was still any doubt.
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