Can Pedri and Gavi emulate Xavi and Iniesta for Spain in Qatar?
Salt and pepper, knife and fork, Xavi and Iniesta. The diminutive midfielders were the symbols of Spain’s extraordinary success between 2008 and 2012, as international football’s erstwhile underachievers won two European Championships and a World Cup.
12 years on from their success in South Africa, Spain have another pair of technically gifted midfield maestros looking to lead the team to glory.
Given the country’s extraordinary strength in depth in the centre of the park – Rodri will be on the bench when Spain face Costa Rica on Wednesday, while Thiago Alcantara did not even make the squad – it speaks volumes that Pedri and Gavi are set to start in Qatar. What’s more, Spain’s chances of success depend heavily on the teenaged Barcelona duo.
Few teams at this World Cup will have an on-field identity as clearly defined as Spain’s. Luis Enrique’s team will press high up the pitch, defend with a high line and dominate possession. Their approach play will invariably be easy on the eye, although at times they will be accused of “overplaying” and lacking a ruthless streak in the final third.
Pedri and Gavi will certainly help Spain to keep the ball away from their opponents, a tactic that helped La Roja keep clean sheets in every knockout game they contested at Euro 2008, World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012.
Of the midfielders that have started at least half of their team’s La Liga matches this term, only Nemanja Gudelj (91.9%), Fran Beltran (92.4%), Aurelien Tchouameni (93.2%), Axel Witsel (93.6%) and Toni Kroos (94.6%) have a better pass success rate than Pedri (91.1%). But all five of those players are deployed in deeper midfield berths than Pedri, who is not a holding player.
While he is adept at retaining possession, the 19-year-old is by no means risk averse. Using the same criteria as above, his 1.8 key passes per 90 minutes rank him fifth in La Liga for central midfielders.
The comparison is imperfect, but Pedri’s dribbling and mastery of the ball in tight areas means he is more Iniesta than Xavi. With 2.2 dribbles per 90, Pedri is again among La Liga’s top five midfielders. His ability to progress the ball, either with a pass or a dribble, will help to inject tempo into Spain’s play when it is needed. Unusually for someone so young, Pedri’s tactical understanding means he knows when to speed things up and when to slow them down.
When he made his debut last October at 17 years and 62 days old, Gavi became Spain’s youngest ever player. He has since made 12 appearances for his country’s senior side – more than he made at under-16 and under-18 level combined. "It is very difficult not to fall in love with him," said Luis Enrique in June.
At 90.6%, Gavi’s pass success rate for Barcelona this term is slightly lower than that of Pedri, but he marginally outperforms his teammate with 1.9 key passes per 90. Both players are adept at finding space between the lines, and Luis Enrique will encourage them to do so simultaneously in a bid to break through the defensive structure of their opponents in Qatar.
Vicente del Bosque tried to get as many technical midfielders into his Spain XI as possible, often by fielding players like Iniesta, David Silva and Cesc Fabregas as part of a front three. Gavi and Pedri are sufficiently versatile to do similar should Enrique require it. In a tough knockout game, the manager may consider deploying one of them further forward and bringing Rodri or Koke into the engine room.
Spain descended into self-parody at the World Cup four years ago, seemingly keeping possession for its own sake against Russia, before losing the last-16 tie on penalties.
The presence in the side of Pedri and Gavi this time around means a repeat is unlikely. Dynamic, energetic and tenacious, they tend to look forwards rather than sideways and will not be content with keep-ball unless the scoreline suits their side.
"Let’s hope we can be a duo like Xavi and Iniesta but it will be tough to repeat what they did," Pedri said in March. "I have a special relationship with [Gavi] and I really appreciate him, he has great potential."
If the teenagers can inspire Spain to glory this winter, the comparisons will only grow. But Pedri and Gavi are determined to write their own histories, and Qatar could be the stage on which they do it.
