FC Barcelona 2012/13 Season in Review: Pedro

Report: For Pedro the 2011-12 season was a step in the wrong direction and in the 2012-13 campaign he was hoping for a rebound season. That did not happen for the Canary islander. Pedro started the season strong, scoring in the season opener, but after that it went downhill for him. Pedro went 15 consecutive games without scoring a league goal. During that span he did help his team by assisting on seven goals, but it was clear that Pedro was struggling on the pitch. He was still his usual hard-working self, however, he was lacking creativity and he struggled in front of the net.

After the New Year it appeared that Pedro turned a new leaf as he scored five goals in five games, but the hot streak was short lived. From February until the end of the season Pedro only scored three goals, though one of them was the very important equalizing goal against Paris Saint-Germain. But that was just about the only positive for Pedro in the season's last four months. During that time Pedro also battled a calf injury he suffered on intentional duty in Spain's win over France which sidelined him for a couple games.

Due to his obvious lack of goalscoring form Pedro achieved a career low in goals scored in a full season. This year was also Pedro's worst in terms of appearances since making the jump from Barcelona B.

But despite the lack of scoring from the Spaniard Pedro remained the most used winger for Tito Vilanova. Pedro made the majority of his appearances on the right wing, but he also made a handful of starts on the left wing. Understandably his production was much better from the right side. Pedro continued to combine well with Dani Alves on the right side, but like the Brazilian right-back he too had difficulties crossing the ball into the danger area. Pedro was, however, good when taking on the defender directly, but he often shied away from such plays.

Even though Pedro struggled mightily to score for the Catalan club that was not the case with Spain on the international stage. Going back to the 2012 European Championship, which Spain won, Pedro made 16 appearances for La Furia Roja during which he found the back of the net 11 times and also added four assists. Pedro was also a key member of the team that finished second in the 2013 Confederations Cup.

Moment of the season: Pedro's best game of the season probably came in the team's first game of the season. Against Real Sociedad Pedro was one of Barcelona's best players, scoring a goal and helping his team with an assist. The forward fired two shots on goal while making two dribbles and completing 96% of his passing attempts. But his contributions weren't limited to the offense as Pedro also helped in defense with three tackles, an interception and a clearance.

FC Barcelona - Real Sociedad (5-1) Resumen (19/08/12) J1 (via La Liga)

Stats:

*BB Community Rating represents the average rating (out of 10) Barca Blaugranes community members gave to the player for his performances throughout the season

Record with Pedro in the starting lineup: 26-5-8

2013-14 Outlook: After two consecutive sub-par season it's time for Pedro to step up or he might be on his way away from the Catalan capital after the season. But Pedro will be forced to impress the coaching staff in less playing time than he had in the 2012-13 season. With Neymar penciled in at left wing and Alexis Sanchez displaying his best form since joining Barcelona Pedro appears to be heading for a backup role at both wing positions. But if he regains his form from the 2009-11 period or if Alexis struggles he could return quickly to a starting role.

Next Up: David Villa