Deco wanted a change. And Pedri is grateful for the change.
When he took over as sporting director, Deco found a deficit in the physical preparation of the first team. According to what was explained at the Ciudad Deportiva, Barcelona had fallen behind the leading clubs in Europe. The problem had a solution: tempting Julio Tous, a specialist in strength training, to become the new physical trainer. Tous had experience at Barça, but had also spent time in Italy (Sampdoria and Juventus) and England (Chelsea and Tottenham). The talks for him to join Barça, however, were dragging on. It happened then that Pedri suffered another muscular problem. At that moment, Deco and his team understood that there was no more time to lose. And, with Xavi still sitting on the bench, Barcelona signed Tous.
“Barça has always been a benchmark in physical preparation and innovation at the training level. When I arrived as a player we had Paco Seirul.lo and I saw things I had never seen before. Barça has always been a club of innovation. The idea of bringing Tous was not because of something that was wrong, but because of an issue of improvement. Barça must be a club with references. Julio had his life consolidated, but he believed in the project,” explained Deco about the incorporation of the new head of physical preparation. Within the Deco and Tous project there was a name in red: Pedri. The Canary Island midfielder had changed his diet, his training routine – he had set up a gym at home – and even followed Ferran Torres’ advice to immerse himself in cold water. However, nothing seemed to change: he continued to have muscle problems, three injuries in the 2023-2024 season, a total of nine in the last three campaigns.
To avoid the labyrinth of injuries, Pedri had also had his muscles analysed in the United States. According to Mundo Deportivo, a sample of the fibres was taken from the Canary Islander and sent to a reference laboratory for genetic muscular myopathies in Baltimore for analysis. The idea was to get to know Pedri’s physique better in order to avoid further injuries.
When Pedri seemed to be finding his way back to the starting eleven at the European Championships in Germany, a tackle by Toni Kroos in the quarter-finals sent him back to the infirmary. He was not discouraged. He stayed with the group in Donaueschingen, lifted the Cup in Berlin and then left for Tenerife as he does every summer. This time, he had a shadow at his side. In addition to training to recover from his knee injury, the Canary Islander took advice from Tous. The new head of Barcelona’s physical preparation sent a man he trusted to work with Pedri.
A key player
A more muscular and powerful Canary Islander showed up to work under Flick. “Pedri has been working hard for a while to be in top form. Hopefully they have hit the nail on the head now,” explained those close to the footballer. “For me it is crucial that the players are in good physical condition, as is the technical and tactical side. Football is much more than just playing the ball,” explained Hansi Flick.
Tous’ strength method, plus Flick’s field work, boosted the Canary Islander’s football in the awakening of the new Barça. He has scored two goals in the first five games of the season, as well as becoming a key man for the coach in the game’s structure, either alongside Casadó in midfield or as a playmaker as will happen today against Monaco in Barça’s Champions League debut to replace the injured Dani Olmo. “Flick asks me to play without pressure. We work very hard and it shows in the game. The team does not drop after the 70th or 80th minute and maintains its physical level,” said Pedri during an interview during the international break.
Those words irritated Xavi. And they did so much that the same day the interview was published in Mundo Deportivo, the former coach sent a message to the Canary Islander on the eve of the match between Serbia and Spain. But Pedri avoided the confrontation. “His intention was not to criticise Xavi’s work, but to talk about Flick,” explained those close to the number 8. Pedri’s response to Xavi is shared in the dressing room. “We have a new way of working, but we must not throw away everything that Xavi had done. We had difficult moments last year, but also others in which the team was doing well. Flick demands that there is intensity and that we are focused at all times. We are understanding this very well and it is reflected on the pitch,” revealed Koundé.
Following Tous’ pace, Flick takes advantage of Pedri’s football. And Deco smiles.
