‘A kind of anaesthesia‘ — Inigo Perez has huge words of praise for €150m-rated Barcelona midfield star | OneFootball

You know you have a very special player in your hands at FC Barcelona when an opposition manager cannot stop waxing lyrical about him. Pedri did not score against Rayo Vallecano, but he still left one of the clearest impressions on the game.

Barcelona had to work hard for their 1-0 win, and even the opposition coach walked away speaking about the midfielder with real admiration. As quoted by Mundo Deportivo, Rayo boss Inigo Perez was full of praise when asked about Pedri after the match. He said:

“The clarity Pedri has, added to his other qualities, causes that against a team like ours, which does not like the opponent to have the ball for too long, a kind of anaesthesia is created that gradually wears you down.”

He then went even further in explaining why Pedri is so difficult to face, adding:

That is brilliant praise from a rival coach, and from a Barcelona perspective it captures Pedri perfectly. He does not always dominate games through noise or obvious drama. Sometimes he controls them by slowly draining the opponent’s energy, making them chase, think and suffer until the spaces open.

It also says something important about Pedri’s maturity. Rayo are one of the most intense and uncomfortable sides to face in Spain, yet their own coach framed Pedri almost like a tactical problem with no easy answer. That is the sort of compliment elite midfielders earn.

Pedri had a brilliant first half against Rayo last night before the fatigue kicked in. The ball stuck to his foot like a magnet and he ran the show. So while Joan Garcia may have taken the MVP award, it was the €150m-rated Canary Islander who caused the opposition manager the biggest problems and that is the best compliment that he can receive.