German coach HansiFlick has expressed his concern about the wear and tear of Pedri, the Canarian midfielder who has been a key player in Barcelona during the 2026-2027 season. In the 13 games played to date, Pedri has appeared as a substitute 10 times and has accumulated 3,399 minutes, which represents 62% of the 5,400 possible minutes in the season. This percentage, although high, is lower than that of other starters and has led Flick to question the freshness of the team after the 1-2 defeat against Real Madrid in the first LaLiga Clásico.
In the first half of the campaign, Pedri played 1,635 minutes out of a possible 2,790 in 31 games, reaching 58.60%. With the Spanish team, he has played 858 of a possible 1,440 minutes, 59.58%. In the second half of the season, the player has seen a significant increase, with 906 minutes out of a possible 1,170, bringing his participation to 77.43%. Despite his importance, Pedri is the most substituted player, with 10 early departures, while Raphinha and Gordon have been substituted eight times each.
Flick has structured his staff into three blocks. The first includes the starters, almost all international, with players who could join the starting eleven. The second block is made up of rotation players who act as theoretical substitutes, and a third group with a more limited presence. In terms of minutes, the players who appear the most are Lamine (1101min), JoanGarcia (1035min), Pedri (907min), Cubarsí (872min), GerardMartín (843min), Rodri (810min), Raphinha (791min), Fermín (776min), Gordon (757min), XaviEspart (724min) and EricGarcia (677min). The total percentage of minutes played by the starters is 71.55%, with JoanGarcia leading with 88.54% and Pedri with 77.52%.
Among the substitutes, the difference in minutes between EricGarcia (677min) and Cancelo (566min) is 111min, which exceeds the duration of a match. Other players with lesser participation include Brian Fariñas, who has not yet debuted, and Balde, who has accumulated only 86 minutes as a substitute. In addition, Gavi has recorded 191min without any mishap, while DeJong and GabrielJesus have had 16min and 233min respectively, figures below expectations.
With the season still underway, Barcelona must balance the need to keep its key players fresh with the demands of competing in LaLiga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey. The management of Pedri and other starters will be crucial for the continuity of the team's performance in the next matches.