“With Flick, we work a lot harder at Barcelona than before”

Barcelona have had a flying start to the 2024-25 season. They have 12 points out of a possible 12 and, in their last game, scored seven goals against Valladolid. At the moment, all is happy and much of that is thanks to Hansi Flick, Pedri is clear.

The midfielder maintains that his methods have had an effect and he sees a much more physically prepared team. “At the club we work a lot harder than before. I think the physical trainers who have come in are doing us a lot of good. We work very hard and that shows in the match. The team doesn't drop off after 70 or 80 minutes, but maintains the physical level,” he explained in ‘Mundo Deportivo’.

On a personal level, he stressed, he also feels capable of doing what he wants, which has reinforced his self-esteem: “I feel liberated. I think Flick has also conveyed this to me: to play without pressure, to do what I know how to do, and I feel much more relaxed”.

“Physically, you can tell I'm much better at being able to do different things. Flick is very good at that, giving us confidence,” he added.

Pedri defined the coach as a “very close person, a guy who likes to talk to the players”. “Apart from being serious, he also jokes, he is not always as serious as he seems. He helps us young players a lot. He's always aware of what you need and that's appreciated. When you have to take things seriously, he takes them seriously with everything. He has that sergeant's touch, but also that of a nice person when he talks to us,” he commented on Flick's personality.

On another subject, he spoke about Barca's good start: “I think it was important for us to start like this. I think the team deserves to be like this, the confidence that all the players have. Now we have to keep going. It's clear that it's only four games, but to start like this is what we need.”

“I've heard Raphinha saying that Barca have to go to win everything, which is what we have to have in mind, but neither one day we are the best in the world nor another day we are the worst. I think we have to maintain the level we have. We have to keep working, we have to go for everything”, he closed.