Barcelona and Spain to blame for Pedri's injury breakdown

James Shearman

• Updated: 27 Oct 2021 17:02 BST
• 3 min read

Blame can rarely be attributed when it comes to injuries in football but in the case of Pedri it is easier than ever to do so.

The 18-year-old's recent struggles are the fault of both Barcelona and the Spanish national team.

Indeed, 73 matches in less than a year led to the inevitable injury that has kept him out of action since September.

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After an enduring first season at Camp Nou, Pedri was called up to Spain's 23-man squad for the European Championship, a tournament in which he played every minute bar one.

However, the most egregious decision of the lot was his inclusion in La Roja's Olympic team for the Tokyo games.

In fact, Barcelona had asked for him not to be included, but were ignored.

That said, the Catalan giants could then have given the youngster an adequate period of rest once he returned, maybe a month or so, but had him playing again in September.

Now, all parties are left unhappy as Pedri is spending time on the physio's table instead of the field of play.

Confrontation over Pedri injury

Pedri's latest setback in coming back from a thigh injury has caused a fallout between members of the Barcelona staff, according to Diario AS.

The midfielder recently returned to training, only to make matters worse, and now faces a longer than expected spell on the sidelines.

As a result, assistant head coach Alfred Schreuder reportedly fell out with physio Juanjo Brau, who put the setback down to 'bad luck' rather than his team's own misjudgment.

And while tensions are said to have cooled, the fact remains that Pedri won't return until after the international break in November.

Barcelona currently sit ninth in La Liga, five points off rivals Real Madrid, and could do with arguably their most important player now more than ever.

But, a portion of the blame for this mess is unquestionably their own.