Pedri: "I'm hesitant, I always try to have fun"

With just turned 20, he did it on Friday, Pedri (Bajamar, Tenerife) has no tattoos.

"I don't like them," he says convinced.

In the hopeful debut of Spain against Costa Rica, the interior of Barcelona signed a sublime first half hour.

“I felt comfortable because I had the ball,” he says as he adjusts a sleeveless training shirt.

“I am from the Canary Islands, but this heat has nothing to do with it.

The humidity is tremendous, ”he warns.

His silhouette, although thin, is more robust due to having increased his hours in the gym, although he has not changed his diet: "Except for my mother's croquettes, I have always eaten very healthy."

Ask.

The match against Costa Rica was close to perfection.

Response.

We had a lot of the ball, we felt very comfortable with the ball and chances came.

Q.

What changed so that those 1,000 passes that they gave were not a succession of touches without depth as has happened on other occasions against rivals that close so much?

R.

It was the rhythm that we printed on the ball.

When you play one or two touches, it is difficult for opponents to get to the pressure in time.

We perceive this well when looking for and finding our free man and to attack the passing lanes and generate depth.

The truth is that we play at a very high level.

They got mentally tired from running so much after the ball and that's where the goals came from.

Q.

Especially in the first half hour, you seemed to float and conveyed the feeling that you were having fun.

R.

I always try to have fun, and when I do, it shows a lot in my game.

It was a day for it, because he was almost always in contact with the ball.

When I find the ball a lot, I feel comfortable.

And then, playing with Gavi and Busquets is very easy.

Q.

You and Gavi are different, but you complement each other.

R.

Gavi never gives up a lost ball and has a lot of quality one on one, he has magic.

Q.

And you?

R.

Now I have more experience than in the last Eurocup.

In many plays I think differently than before.

The player of the Spanish team Pedri, after training at the University of Qatar, in Doha, Qatar.

Jaime Villanueva

Q.

What difference is there between what Gavi and you do to him as insiders at Barça and in the national team?

R.

At Barça we play a lot between the lines, we receive fewer balls, but we try to do damage as soon as we receive.

In the national team, the coach asks me to go down more to receive so that he is more in contact with the ball.

In both ways of playing I feel comfortable.

When you're close to the goal you have a better chance of scoring or giving a key pass and you come into more contact with the ball at the back.

You have fun trying to make the game dynamic and trying to set the pace.

Q.

Is it possible to have fun with the responsibility that a World Cup entails?

R.

Yes, when you play a game of the caliber of Costa Rica's it is what makes a difference.

Q.

After the win at the premiere, it's your turn to regulate the euphoria to face Germany.

R.

You have to have a cool head, be calm, we have to face the match for what it is, against a team that, although they lost the first game, has players of a high level.

Q.

They say that you are the funny one of the group.

R.

I'm hesitant.

I try to have fun wherever I am.

We canaries hesitated a lot and laughed.

Here we get together Gavi, Eric García, Jordi Alba... who also hesitates a lot.

We make a joke out of anything.

Balde will have to dance or sing in front of everyone because he is the new one.

Q.

And does Ferran Torres hesitate a lot about being Luis Enrique's son-in-law?

R.

Not much, he gets along well, everyone does their job, one plays and the other trains.

Q.

You look more muscular.

R.

I have to keep improving, I have gained muscle mass, but in the second half against Costa Rica I couldn't collide with the player who put me to mark me because he was very tall and very strong.

After the injury I really wanted to go to the gym.

I wanted to work on the physical more than I did before.

Now I am more active in training.

Pedri, after training at Qatar University, in Doha, Qatar.

Jaime Villanueva

Q.

So, better not to hit the Germans?

A.

The Germans are strong, it's better to have the ball and play low, which is how we can beat them.

Q.

The Bayern style, which has done so much damage at Barça, again in front.

R.

Kimmich, Musiala, Goretzka, Gnabry... they all have a lot of quality.

They are strong one on one.

What you have to do is have the ball so they can't show off and, as the coach says, we have to be faithful to our idea.

Q.

That idea, against a team like Germany, which likes quick transitions, isn't it taking too many risks?

R.

We can take risks, but it is what the coach requires of us.

We feel very comfortable with the style and it is the one that suits us players who are here.

You have to have respect for them, they are a world-class team, with high-quality players who can mess you up, but we feel strong.

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