Rodri and Pedri fail to give Barcelona the expected edge in El Clásico

FC Barcelona struggled with ball retention in midfield during their 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid in the El Clásico held at Spotify Camp Nou, with Rodri and Pedri each losing possession 13 times.

Mundo Deportivo highlights this statistic, noting that FC Barcelona did not achieve the expected dominance in midfield, despite the pre-match expectations of being able to control the flow of the game.

Pedri struggled in the first half, losing the ball 11 times compared to Rodri's 7. However, he improved in the second half, where he assisted Raphinha for the equalizing goal.

Despite FC Barcelona's 62.2% possession compared to Real Madrid's 37.8%, and their advantage in passes with 60 to 380, as well as shots with 18 to 10, the royal team was more effective, scoring two goals to one. They also excelled in expected goals, with a tally of 1.95 compared to 1.19.

On an individual level, Rodri topped the list of players with the most successful passes with 84 passes, followed by Pedri with 78, compared to 44 passes for Aurélien Tchouaméni, the most successful passer among Real Madrid players. Rodri also regained possession of the ball 11 times, ahead of Güler and Pedri, who each regained it 7 times. Meanwhile, Rodri led the number of interventions in play with 105, followed by Pedri with 96.

The Spanish newspaper pointed out that statistical figures do not always reflect the full picture of matches, explaining that the impression gained from watching the game can sometimes be more expressive of the match's course than the numbers alone, especially given José Mourinho's successful plan to confuse FC Barcelona with individual marking.