A FACT: Vitinha’s game only really began after Pedri came off. With Pedri on the pitch, both Vitinha and João Neves struggled to control the tempo because Pedri was dictating the rhythm, deciding when to speed things up and when to slow them down.
He was doing whatever he wanted against PSG’s midfield, constantly finding Fermín and Lamine with incisive passes through the middle. Once Pedri came off, Vitinha was freed up and became much more effective offensively.
Even alongside Marc Bernal, Pedri controlled the game on his own terms. That’s how good he is.
This is what i meant:
• Dembele injured
• Marquinhos injured
• Kvaratskhelia ACL.
Flick played 4D chess with Luis Enrique, luring him right into his trap. He put out his best lineup against Barça and asked his players to go all out with full intensity.
Benched Rodri, subbed off Pedri and Xavi Espart. Flick had no intention of winning this game; he was just testing the waters. He knows we'll meet PSG again in the knockouts, and that's when he intends to hit them hard.