No Pedri, no party: Barça have lost one Liga game in two seasons with him

Pedri continues to make progress in his recovery. The Canary Islander is ready to receive medical clearance from the injury he sustained on 16 February against Manchester United. He even aims to start on Sunday against Atlético Madrid at Spotify Camp Nou.

The return of Pedri is great news for coach Xavi Hernandez and for the team. The midfielder is the player who generates the most play and danger near the opponent's box, a player who has been missed a lot by Robert Lewandowski and who had scored six goals in LaLiga before his injury. His absence did Xavi's team a lot of damage at the end of last season, a circumstance that has been repeated this season, perhaps not so much in terms of results, but certainly in terms of play.

Pedri is an indisputable player for the coach and his numbers provide the evidence. With him on the pitch, Barça have only lost one league game in the last two seasons, the clásico of the first half of this season played at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Until his injury, Pedri had played 21 LaLiga games this season, with 18 wins for Xavi's side, one defeat and two draws, against Rayo on the opening day of the season and in the New Year's Eve derby against Espanyol. Seven points dropped by Barça -- the same number of points they have dropped in the eight league games that Pedri has been out.

His numbers were also good last season, although it is true that he was out of action for a long time. He was only able to appear in 12 LaLiga games, winning ten and drawing two, again against Espanyol and at San Mamés against Athletic Club. He scored three goals and handed out one assist in the 12 league games he was able to play.

FIRST SEASON

Quite the opposite happened to him in his first season as an Azulgrana, in which he was coached by Ronald Koeman. Pedri only missed the last game of the championship, in which Barça were no longer playing for anything. He played the other 37, with 23 wins, seven draws and seven defeats. He scored three goals and provided three assists.

In total, Pedri's numbers in LaLiga with Barça are more than remarkable. Seventy games played, with 51 wins, eleven draws and only eight defeats. When he has not played, Barça's numbers are as follows: 35 games played, with seventeen wins, ten draws and eight defeats. The difference is huge. Without Pedri there is no party.