Why Hansi Flick keeps substituting Pedri despite his importance – report | OneFootball

Hansi Flick’s handling of Pedri has become one of the less obvious features of Barcelona’s success since the German took charge.

The midfielder, who recently made his 250th Barcelona appearance, remains central to Flick’s plans, whether operating as an interior or in a double pivot, but being important to the team has not meant playing every available minute. 

Flick has consistently used substitutions to keep Pedri’s workload under control, and the pattern has continued into the new season.

Pedri himself has previously spoken about feeling physically better, which goes on to show that the approach is particularly relevant given the injuries that have interrupted parts of his career.

Pedri keeps starting, but Flick keeps taking him off

The numbers from the opening weeks of this season make Flick’s strategy difficult to miss. 

Hansi Flick is keenly managing Pedri’s game time. (Photo by Francisco Macia/Getty Images)

Pedri has appeared in every match and, apart from the opening fixture when he did not start, has been included in the starting XI for every game since.

Yet he has not completed a single 90 minutes.

Notably, his league and Champions League playing times have been 85 minutes against Athletic Club, 77 against Rayo Vallecano, 81 against Valencia, 63 against Feyenoord, 66 against Levante and 61 against Racing Santander.

That makes Pedri the player Flick has substituted most often this season. The contrast with Barcelona’s current ever-present players is striking, as Joan García had played every minute before his injury, while Lamine Yamal and Raphinha have remained on the pitch for every available minute.

Flick’s treatment of Pedri therefore does not suggest a reduced role. Quite the opposite. He continues to start him regularly while deliberately controlling how long he remains on the field.

A pattern was established during Flick’s first season

Flick has taken off Pedri in all matches this season. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

As per Mundo Deportivo, this is not a new idea. By December 2024, Pedri had already been substituted 18 times across Barcelona’s first 24 competitive matches.

His importance increased as the 2024-25 season progressed. Pedri finished that La Liga campaign with 37 appearances, 35 starts and 2,879 minutes. He completed 90 minutes on 15 occasions, but there were another 20 league matches in which he started without finishing the game.

The same principle carried into Flick’s second season, although injuries complicated the midfielder’s campaign. Pedri missed time with a thigh problem and later a muscle tear, eventually making 43 appearances.

Of the 25 matches he started, he completed 14.

That history explains that Flick does not appear interested in reducing Pedri’s importance; instead, he is trying to preserve it. Barcelona need their midfielder available across a long season, and the regular substitutions are part of that calculation.