Barcelona really like playing Valencia. For the second time in as many weeks they swept them aside last night, and this win booked a place in the Copa del Rey semi-finals.
They followed the 7-1 home win in La Liga on January 26 with a 5-0 away at the Mestalla — and it could have been more lop-sided than that. Ferran Torres tore his boyhood club apart with a first-half hat-trick as Barca raced into a 4-0 lead after half an hour. Fermin Lopez made the most of getting another start with a goal and Frenkie de Jong showed another convincing version of himself as a holding midfielder. Lamine Yamal’s second-half strike felt like an afterthought.
But we need to talk about Pedri.
The 22-year-old’s passes for the second and third goals will live long in the memory — two deliveries of genius.
Torres scored Barcelona’s and his second of the game on 17 minutes, capitalizing on a loose ball inside the box after a shot by Yamal hit the post, but the initial chaos was unleashed by Barca’s No 8.
Pedri received the ball from Pau Cubarsi on the left of midfield, quite deep. Valencia players let him turn and his position was apparently harmless… until the midfielder did his thing and pulled a trick: an outside-of-the-boot pass that broke two pressing lines and sent Raphinha on a path to goal.
⚽️ ¡¡𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗢𝗢𝗟!!
🦈 Vuelve a marcar Ferran Torres. El VAR valida el gol del delantero del Barça.
🆚 @valenciacf – @FCBarcelona_es I 0-2 I 17′
📺 @La1_tve#LaCopaMola🏆 I #CopadelReyMAPFRE pic.twitter.com/gqa6WXK7Ak
— RFEF (@rfef) February 6, 2025
Valencia did not learn their lesson and for the third goal six minutes later, Pedri was, fittingly for Super Bowl week, like an NFL quarterback in disguise.
This time, he received the ball from Cubarsi in that same deep midfield area again and had to turn around, again. After a quick glance to scan the pitch he spotted Fermin, operating as a roaming No 10, making a run in-behind the defence.
Pedri’s dinked pass allowed Fermin to dribble past goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski and make it 3-0 after 23 minutes. That was enough for some Valencia fans to get up and leave: game over.
⚽️ ¡¡𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗢𝗢𝗟!!
🪄 Pedri sacó la varita y Fermín definió con calidad para poner el tercer tanto del conjunto culé.
🆚 @valenciacf – @FCBarcelona_es I 0-3 I 22′
📺 @La1_tve#LaCopaMola🏆 I #CopadelReyMAPFRE pic.twitter.com/sJ3zPWVoMH
— RFEF (@rfef) February 6, 2025
His pass in the build-up for Torres’ hat-trick — Barca’s fourth on the half-hour — wasn’t bad either…
⚽️ ¡¡𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗢𝗢𝗟!!
Hat-trick de Ferran Torres en Mestalla. El cuarto del Barça en media hora de eliminatoria.
🆚 @valenciacf – @FCBarcelona_es I 0-4 I 30′
📺 @La1_tve#LaCopaMola🏆 I #CopadelReyMAPFRE pic.twitter.com/XNvn699KKM
— RFEF (@rfef) February 6, 2025
Pedri was subbed off after 64 minutes, having registered 81 touches, that assist, 60 completed passes from 65 attempts, nine ground duels won out of 10, three interceptions and five tackles.
Barcelona have the top goalscoring forward line among the top five European leagues in Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Yamal. But nobody sets the tempo, orchestrates and measures the brilliance of Hansi Flick’s team more than Pedri, who signed a contract extension until 2030 last week.
“I don’t want to compare him with other footballers I’ve managed, but he’s unbelievable,” Flick said in his post-match press conference. “In this position, he is one of the best in the world. In any position he finds himself on the pitch, he just wants the ball — even under pressure. I am very happy Pedri is here to stay for a long time.”
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At the start of the season, the Spain international’s career was at a crossroads.
He had just won the European Championship with the national team, but got injured in the quarter-final against Germany and missed the semi-final and final. The dark clouds of the previous three seasons at Barca, defined by constant muscular problems that saw him miss a combined 85 games, loomed again.
There were doubts about his long-term reliability but the club’s sporting director department, led by Deco, declared him an untouchable member of the squad — and talks over a contract extension had begun.
Barcelona requested extensive analysis on his muscle fibres to get to the bottom of his injury record, the results of which indicated that Pedri needed to undergo more strength work in the gym. This has been a top priority for the club’s newly-assembled fitness team, led by physiotherapist Julio Tous.
A lot of credit needs to be given to Flick too. Barcelona’s new manager has unleashed the best version of Pedri, who is operating in a new deeper position than the No 10 role previous coach Xavi wanted him to play.
In 2023, after he scored in a 4-1 win against, yes, Valencia, Xavi said Pedri needed to add more goals to his game.
“We demand Pedri to do those things on the pitch,” Xavi said. “He shoots really well, and he can also take free kicks. He is still very young and may be a bit shy sometimes, but the skill set he has… is not for everyone. He is not a normal player. His talent is superlative, there are a few like Pedri.”
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After an away win against Villarreal, Xavi highlighted how he wanted Pedri operating in the final third: “It is his natural position. He had many situations where he could attack the opponent’s defence and make the last pass.”
Flick wants Pedri to get on the ball as much as possible, be a free spirit and roam the areas of the pitch where he feels he is most needed.
Pedri is the calm in the storm of the German’s 2024-25 Barcelona; the ‘pausa’ the team requires when they move forward too quickly and the best version of himself — a player who must be back in every discussion about the best midfielders in Europe.
(Top photo: Getty Images)
