Barcelona midfielder Pedri has vouched to become a better version of himself in the 2023-24 season, saying that he is aware of where exactly he needs to work and where exactly is the improvement needed.
Pedri, 20, had a bittersweet season last time out as a serious ιɴjυɾу forced him out of action for a considerable amount of time. Speaking on a personal level, the youngster, while speaking to the media in Los Angeles ahead of the pre-season friєɴԀly against Juventus, said:
“I have to improve a lot of things. I think I provided very few assists last year… I have to get to the box more. I have to improve. I didn’t fulfil the challenge of scoring ten goals. I have to be better,”he was quoted bySPORT.
“I had a holiday to prepare myself physically, which is something I wanted to improve, especially to prevent injuries that have prevented me from playing a couple of times lately.”
On a collective level, he added:”Last season we had that little thorn. We want to improve and we have a good squad to do something good.”
Barcelona recently named their four captainsfor the upcoming season and while the likes of Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Sergi Roberto have been retained for the leadership role, Ronald Araujo and Frenkie de Jong have replaced Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquests.
When asked about his take, the midfielder said:”Becoming aBarçacaptain? I am still young. I am honoured that some of my teammates voted for me, but Ronald and Frenkie deserve it because they are leaders on and off the pitch.”
Barcelona have made amarquee signing in Ilkay Gundoganwhich has truly strengthened their presence in the midfield. While talking about the former Manchester City midfielder’s influence, Pedri said,
“It’s great to see how he turns and how he doesn’t lose the ball. It’s hard to see him lose the ball and he brings so much composure to the pitch. “I’m sure we’ll have a lot of fun with Gündogan.”
Meanwhile, Pedri also spoke about Fermin Lopez, who happens to be one of the many academy players called up for the pre-season tour.
“A player I like a lot is Fermín [López], I’ve never had the pleasure of playing with him and I see that he has a lot of energy and above all a lot of quality,”he explained.
Lastly, the 20-year-old shared his take on the transfer movements, including that of Ferran Torres’ rumoured exit and Kylian Mbappe’s potential move to rivals Real Madrid.
About his teammate, he said:”He is very calm and wants to work and conquer the world. He is a player who is going to help us a lot.”
About Mbappe, he refused to share his thought, as he said:”I’m not the sporting director or president of Real Madrid. We have to concentrate on the tour we are on and let them do what they have to do, we are not worried about them.”
