Barcelona midfielder Pedri delivered a self-critical assessment of his side's performance following their 2-1 El Clasico defeat to Real Madrid. The Spanish international highlighted first-half errors and slow ball circulation as key factors behind the result.
Blaugrana fall short despite second-half revival
Pedri and Barcelona suffered their first domestic defeat of the season as Real Madrid secured a 2-1 victory at Spotify Camp Nou. After falling behind to a fortunate first-half goal, Barcelona rallied after the break with Pedri setting up Raphinha's equaliser.
However, a late counter-attack finished by Kylian Mbappe caught Barcelona off guard, ending their nine-game winning run.
Barcelona remain top of La Liga, holding a three-point cushion over Real Madrid.
Pedri admits first-half display was far below standards
Speaking to DAZN post-match, Pedri offered no excuses for Barcelona's sluggish start to the match. "I think overall we didn't play a great match," Pedri confessed.
"In the first half, we weren't ourselves; I think there were many things we could have done better."
"Above all, the pace of the ball. In the first half we were very slow, we had a lot of silly turnovers, and against this team you pay for them," the midfielder explained.
Midfielder regrets failure to defend late counter-attack
Pedri noted that while Barcelona improved after the interval, failing to defend Madrid's decisive transition proved costly. "In the second half we equalised and were playing better, but they scored on a counter-attack that we didn't defend well," he noted.
"They have quality up front."
"We wanted to win the Clásico in front of our fans... We leave feeling sad, but we have to think about the next one," Pedri added.
Long title race keeps Barcelona focused on recovery
Despite the heartbreak, Pedri reminded supporters that the La Liga title race remains a marathon.
"This is a long season, and a league title isn't won here," Pedri concluded.
Barcelona turn their focus to Saturday's La Liga fixture against Alaves at Spotify Camp Nou.
A sports journalist with nearly a decade of experience, beginning the professional journey at Indonesia's legendary Tabloid BOLA from 2017 until its final print edition in December 2018. Following that, joining GOAL, contributing as a freelance writer for FIFA, and working within the media department of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF). Alongside the journalism career, also active as a live play-by-play commentator for Indonesian football since 2017. Holds a bachelor's degree in History from the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung.
Football Story
Footballing identity built on geography, heritage, and childhood obsession. Although the father played for a traditional rival club, nine years living in Bandung made Persib a spiritual home, sparked in 2006 by Thai goalkeeper Kosin Hathairattanakool and witnessing firsthand how deeply locals own the club. Globally, the first true love was Ronaldo and Inter Milan, enduring the heartbreak of near-misses during injury-plagued years. With Dutch roots in Rotterdam, making Feyenoord the club of choice, the Netherlands national team has always remained close to the heart, highlighted by the 2010 World Cup final, a live 2013 friendly against Indonesia, and Oranje Indonesia watch parties. Arjen Robben and Giovanni van Bronckhorst remain ultimate favorites, while Football Manager 2005 sparked a lasting admiration for Athletic Bilbao’s philosophy. Outside football, allegiance lies with the Chicago Bulls and Golden State Warriors through icons like Michael Jordan, Derrick Rose, and Stephen Curry.
Areas of Expertise
Areas of expertise span Indonesian football and Liga 1 data insights and unique features, alongside Southeast Asian and East Asian football landscapes covering Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan, and Korea. Additional skills include digital and social media video content creation such as Instagram reels and podcasts, as well as player profiling, feature writing, live broadcasting, interviewing, photography, and multilingual communication in basic français and español .
Favourite Footballing Memory
Combining a passion for backpacking with professional assignments has made it possible to pursue two goals simultaneously. Meeting and interviewing various Indonesian players pursuing careers or currently based abroad, ranging from across Southeast Asia to Europe, has been an absolute privilege and honor. Traveling independently through the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, and Japan to track down and connect with Indonesian players competing abroad remains a truly cherished experience. Crafting interview content with them is a body of work that will always hold a special place in memory.
My All-Time XI
It’s tough to lock down a definitive starting XI, but the non-negotiables are Manuel Neuer or Rogério Ceni in goal; alongside Javier Zanetti, Sergio Ramos, N'Golo Kanté, Toni Kroos, Arjen Robben, Mo Salah, and Zlatan Ibrahimović. Juan Román Riquelme or Michael Laudrup most likely complete the tactical puzzle. While legends like Lothar Matthäus, Zinedine Zidane, and Ronaldo are impossible to overlook, they were left out simply because they feature in everyone else's lineup.
