Barcelona will no longer be able to extend their lead as the top winner of the Copa del Rey, a situation that could possibly have been avoided with some adjustments that the Blaugrana could have made differently, or at least that’s how Pedri perceives it.

Barcelona failed to secure a spot in the Copa del Rey semifinals after a 4-2 defeat against Athletic. Once again, the Catalan side conceded a goal in the opening minutes of the match, this time within the first minute at San Mamés. Despite managing to partially come back, Pedri acknowledged that Barcelona needs to adopt different attitudes on the field.

The Canarian midfielder, who played 100 minutes against the Basque team, expressed his frustration at falling so close to the semifinals, stating, “We wɑnted this title, had it in our minds, but it didn’t happen. We made a lot of effort, but we leave with this tough defeat. Everyone needs to be more focused, we need to step up,” he explained.

Pedri elaborated on these remarks, emphasizing that Barcelona has been conceding too many goals this season. He pointed out the need for the team to be more focused in matches, stating, “We have to step up in games; it has happened to us several times. Everyone needs to take that step forward because it makes a difference,” noted the 21-year-old footballer, who is increasingly approaching 100% in terms of match fitness.

Despite the defeat and Barcelona’s elimination, Pedri also acknowledged that the team needs to regroup and focus on the two remaining competitions: “We are disappointed, but we need to change our mindset. We have to remember that there are two titles left, and we need to compete for them until the end,” signaled Pedri, who will play a crucial role against Napoli to ensure Barcelona’s progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.