Barcelona fans are continuing to dream of a Lionel Messi return and, in Sunday’s home match with Atletico Madrid, supporters were once again chanting his name in the 10th minute.

But right now, the sun that really brightens Barcelona’s game goes by a different name: Pedri.

The 20-year-old has been so missed at Camp Nou that his return from injury produced the biggest standing ovation in the crucial 1-0 win against Atletico when he entered from the bench in the second half.

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“Pedri gives us a lot of tranquillity. He makes every ball that goes through his feet better. I’m just calmer when he has the ball, it’s that simple,” summed up his manager Xavi after the game.

Pedri hadn’t played since February after he picked up a hamstring injury in the Europa League tie against Manchester United. He has been so sorely missed that Xavi, and the player himself, tried to rush his return for the La Liga Clasico against Real Madrid last month, resulting in a setback in his recovery.

Those who are close to the player were, back then, fuming with Barca’s backroom staff for allowing such a risk to be taken. To be fair, concerns over his physical condition go back a little further.

Pedri hit the ground running during his first season at the club and did not really stop. By the end of the 2020-2021 campaign, he had appeared in 52 games, missing not one match through injury.

During the off-season, he took part in the European Championship, where he was named the tournament’s best young player, before flying off to Tokyo to feature in the Olympic Games.

Spain reached the semi-finals at the Euros and the final at the Olympics, with Pedri playing more than 90 minutes on five occasions as matches went to extra time. It’s fair to say it did not look like the most sensible way to take care of an 18-year-old’s body. A year later, he got confirmation that it wasn’t.

After a debut season free of injuries, Pedri has missed 44 Barcelona games due to physical issues over the two campaigns since. And now, when he is injured, they really miss him.

“Without Pedri, our whole idea falls apart,” a source from Barca’s backroom staff told The Athletic some weeks ago.

The stats reflect it quite well. Pedri has played in 22 league matches this season, with Barcelona winning 19, drawing two and losing one. Of the eight league matches he has not been on the pitch, Barca have won five, drawn two and lost one. That’s a win-rate percentage of 86% with him in the side, dropping to 63% in his absence.

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Without Pedri on the pitch, Xavi’s side have made an average of seven fewer passes into the final third per game. They’ve registered one fewer shot per match and, most importantly, have conceded on average three more shots on goal.

It’s quite significant as well to see how, without Pedri, Barcelona cross into the box a lot more often. Their average of 12.3 open-play crosses per game with him jumps to an average of 18.3 when he’s not on the pitch. Basically, that’s a case of Barca losing a part of their essence; their positional play and movement through the inside pockets.

Barca with and without Pedri in La Liga

It is an issue that is well-recognised within the club. In fact, it’s something they realised last season and it’s why Xavi was pushing to try to sign Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva in the summer, with the Portugal midfielder meant to provide Pedri with support.

Now, despite their financial struggles and the fact targets such as Bernardo are practically off the table with Barcelona only being able to afford free transfers, there’s a new plan to give Pedri a break, one that revolves around another Manchester City player: Ilkay Gundogan.

Nearing the end of his contract, the 32-year-old has received a special request from Xavi to fill the role he had planned for Bernardo a year ago.

Messi is also extremely wanted by the backroom staff, for the same reason. There’s a lack of quality in the final third and an extreme overreliance on Pedri — arrivals such as these would be able to solve this issue.

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While we wait to see how all that unfolds, at least on Sunday Barcelona finally managed to find the net having gone three matches without scoring in all competitions.

It was Ferran Torres who got the goal, finishing a counter-attack on the brink of half-time. Raphinha deserves credit for his tremendous work rate and assist, as does Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Barca’s victory was sealed in no small part thanks to another impressive display from their goalkeeper, who made three crucial interventions to deny key Atletico chances.

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Barcelona were stronger than Atletico in both boxes. That’s how they won the game and that’s why they will win La Liga.

But at a club where the way things are done is so scrutinised, there is no place for a plan that does not guarantee a platform for Pedri, their generational talent, to flourish.

(Top photo: Marc Graupera Aloma/Europa Press via Getty Images)

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