Spain are preparing for another semifinal, and the level reached by this team as a whole has been defined by the quality of its individual talents. Pedri is one of the players who has had to adapt his position at the 2026 World Cup, with Luis de la Fuente finding him a different role based on the team’s needs.
“Pedri cannot play with us the way he plays at Barça. Our style of play is different. We can have certain similarities, but it is different,” the manager said on El Larguero via Cadena SER. “We have Rodri or Zubimendi, who influence the behavior of the player next to them. He cannot play the same way he does for his club because we demand something different from him and have another approach to our footballing philosophy.”
Despite these challenges, De la Fuente praised the Barcelona player’s versatility: “Pedri, because of his ability and talent, can play as a ‘6’, ‘8’ or ’10’. I have spoken with him and he feels very comfortable when he has a final pass, a shot and the ability to make runs into the box. We try to make each player feel comfortable so they can develop their footballing potential.”
The start on the bench against Belgium was due to a tactical change from Spain’s coaching staff, and not because of a decline in the player’s performance. It remains to be seen whether he will ultimately get minutes on the pitch in the head-to-head clash against France.
Pedri of Spain
Pedri, Spain’s young talent
During the 2026 World Cup, Pedri has been a key orchestrator in Spain’s midfield, featuring in all 6 of La Roja‘s matches up through the quarter-finals against Belgium. While he hasn’t recorded a goal or an assist in the tournament yet, his elite control and distribution have been vital, dictating the tempo with 304 completed passes out of 356 attempted (an impressive 85.4% passing accuracy).
Serving as the press-resistant brain of the squad, his standout creative display came in the group stage opener against Cape Verde, where he completed 77 accurate passes and generated multiple chances to set the standard for Spain‘s tactical dominance.
Pedri of Spain.
What midfield could Spain use against France?
It will be a historic showdown between two top contenders. Dallas will be dressed for the occasion for a major clash between Spain and France, with the winner securing a place in the World Cup final.
In the quarterfinal match, Luis de la Fuente decided to start with three midfielders: Rodri, Fabian Ruiz and Alex Baena. This allowed Dani Olmo and Lamine Yamal more freedom to support Mikel Oyarzabal in attack.
That said, it remains to be seen whether he will repeat the same formation against Les Bleus, or if he could potentially bring Pedri into the starting lineup to pursue a different strategy.
