"Pedri is more important to Barcelona than Lamine Yamal, Raphinha or Lewandowski," Toni Kroos said on his podcast. "Pedri is the best player in the world in his position right now. He is a player you miss when you don't play, no matter who you play against."
Pedri (middle) always makes his Real Madrid colleagues miserable every time they meet Barcelona in La Liga or any other match.
Photo: Reuters
"Yamal, Raphinha or Lewandowski are the ones who often decide the results of Barcelona's matches, but to achieve that, they need Pedri. Pedri not only scores and assists, he is also the one who provides solutions. In my opinion, this is Barcelona's most important player," Toni Kroos expressed.
Also according to Toni Kroos: "I've been watching what Pedri has done this season, and in the Champions League alone, he has been better than his opponents in every game. In La Liga, he's been even more extreme! He's been passing defenders on average 11 to 12 times per game, which is the hardest thing a midfielder has to do.
He's the best. And if you lose a player like him, you'll notice! Pedri is one of the few midfielders in his position who can dribble past people in tight spaces. A player like Pedri helps you in every phase of the game."
"I've experienced it myself, especially when I was playing. We (Real Madrid) were destroyed at home. Once or twice, I thought I could catch Pedri, because he doesn't look very fast. But Pedri dribbles everywhere, I couldn't even stop him with a foul.
You see how fast Messi moves. Pedri doesn't look that fast, but he's really fast. He's fast because he's comfortable!", Toni Kroos recalled of his encounter with midfielder Pedri, now 22 and an indispensable pillar for Barcelona.
Will Toni Kroos' praise affect Pedri ahead of the Clasico?
The La Liga title race is taking a major turn, as Real Madrid continue to trail Barcelona by four points with four games remaining.
Real Madrid just had a hard-fought 3-2 win over Celta Vigo after leading 3-0 after only 48 minutes of play on May 4. This result brings Real Madrid and Barcelona into the El Clasico at 9:15 p.m. on May 11 with a decisive nature, in which every match result will contribute to deciding the success or failure of the two teams in the race for the La Liga championship in the 2024-2025 season.
Will Pedri once again make Real Madrid regret?
Photo: Reuters
After this match, Real Madrid will face Mallorca, Sevilla and Real Sociedad, while Barcelona will face Espanyol, Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao. The Catalans also have their minds set on the Champions League with the goal of reaching the final, when they face Inter Milan in the second leg of the semi-final at 2am on May 7. The two teams drew 3-3 in the first leg.
Meanwhile, in the El Clasico confrontations this season, Barcelona has won all 3 matches against Real Madrid so far, including a 4-0 score in the first leg of La Liga, a 3-2 score in the King's Cup final and a 5-2 score in the Spanish Super Cup final. Pedri was a key factor in these victories of Barcelona against Real Madrid.
Toni Kroos' praise for Pedri and Barcelona also shows the difference between this team and their rivals Real Madrid in the current season. Although Real Madrid has the star Mbappe joining, they lack a midfielder with Pedri's style, after the former German player retired at the end of last season.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vi-sao-toni-kroos-khen-pedri-gioi-hon-yamal-tao-buoc-ngoat-dua-vo-dich-la-liga-185250505102432542.htm
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