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Report: Like six of his Barcelona teammates Pedro also started the season with the Spanish national team. But unlike many of his colleagues Pedro wasn't a key member in the team's tournament success. He played in five of the seven games, he started only two, and ended the South African campaign with zero goals and zero assists.
Upon his return to Barcelona Pedro resumed his regular place in the lineup, on the wing. He was always on the move which made it difficult for defenders to cover him. But despite his technical advantage over the opposing players Pedro didn't have the best start to the season as in the first fourteen games he scored only two goals.
After that difficult stretch Pedro simply exploded. Through the next eighteen games he played at a level neither fans or experts expected. Pedro found the back of the net seventeen times and assisted on four goals. During that one and a half dozen game period Pedro was unstoppable. He converted more chances than he missed and practically single-handedly lead Barcelona to victories.
Pedro then hit a brick wall that stopped him in his tracks. The young man suffered through a similar stretch as he went through at the beginning of the season. The hamstring injury he picked up against Sevilla FC certainly didn't help. After the recovery Pedro was slowly brought back into the lineup and despite not playing at his best he managed to score two important goals in the Champions League.
In spite of two bad stretches in the long season Pedro managed to set career highs in assists and games played.
Moment of the season: Pedro had three games in which he scored twice, but his best game of the season came against Panathinaikos in the Champions League on 24 November 2010. Pedro was a constant threat to score and while he did celebrate a double he had a good chance for his first career hat-trick. Pedro scored in the 27th and 62nd minutes while Lionel Messi added the third for a convincing 3-0 victory for the visitors.
Pedro's first goal is in the first video while the second one is in the second clip.
Panathinaikos vs FC Barcelone 24-11-2010 (via titivoller)
Panathinaikos VS FC Barcelone ( 0-3 ) (via yacinho21)
Stats:
| Appearances | 53 |
| Games started | 40 |
| Started on the bench | 20 |
| Substitute in | 13 |
| Substitute out | 25 |
| Minutes played | 3726 |
| Goals scored | 22 |
| Assists | 10 |
| Shots | 96 |
| Shots on goal | 49 |
| Fouls committed | 53 |
| Fouls suffered | 56 |
| Yellow cards | 4 |
| Red cards | 0 |
Record with Pedro Rodriguez in the starting lineup: 32-6-2
2011/12 Outlook: Pedro will return to the Camp Nou as a starting XI member. Unlike last season Pedro will have this year in Alexis Sanchez. With Pedro's experience and familiarity with Guardiola's system the young Spaniard should have no problems getting the big chunk of appearances at one of the wings.
Next up: Jeffren Suarez
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