Pedro saga a drag on Barca title tryst
Print Edition
BARCELONA can extend its trophy haul this year to five when it faces Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Super Cup while much of the attention will again be on the future of unsettled striker Pedro and whether he starts in the first leg tomorrow.
Despite Neymar’s illness Pedro Rodriguez was surprisingly left out of the starting lineup to face Sevilla in Tuesday’s European Super Cup in Tbilisi, Georgia, but the Catalans needed him to come on and score an extra-time winner in the nine-goal thriller.
Tiredness in the first competitive match of the season certainly played a role as Barcelona squandered a three-goal lead and there will be no let up against a physical Bilbao team.
It is a repeat of the Copa del Rey final where Barcelona had a comfortable victory but it will now need to improve defensively if it is to add to its four pieces of silverware in 2015 having won the treble last season.
“We will have to examine what happened and there is work for us to do ahead of the next Super Cup game,” said coach Luis Enrique after the Sevilla victory.
“I am though very happy with the way that we won and showed the hard work that is necessary.”
Barcelona’s technical secretary Robert Fernandez has said Pedro wants to leave but Luis Enrique denied that was why he left him out of the side.
“He had to stop training two days ago due to a problem with his leg and so I decided to start Rafinha. It’s my job to pick the team and that is what I did.”
Pedro hit back at Fernandez’s claim, citing that statement as “unfortunate” but said: “When you know that you could leave, it is a complicated situation. I was very angry to have not played (from the start) because I have always tried to be professional and go out to help the team.
“It is a complicated situation for many reasons. Not for money as has been said, which is another lack of respect. It is a question of continuity, of minutes on the pitch and I am an ambitious player.”
Neymar will still be missing against Bilbao with mumps and Pedro will again be in the frame to start but at the same time rumors continue to circulate of a move to Manchester United.
Barcelona will also be without Jordi Alba while Bilbao is not at full strength with Iker Muniain, Mikel Rico and Inaki Williams among those set to be absent.
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