Pedri admits Barcelona were below their best as Real Madrid claim Clasico victory

Pedri admitted Barcelona failed to produce their expected performance in their 2-1 defeat by Real Madrid in the 10th round of La Liga.

Real Madrid secured victory in the Clasico at Camp Nou, with Barcelona’s midfielder acknowledging that careless losses of possession had proved costly against their rivals.

“We are sad, but the season is still long,” Pedri told DAZN.

“We did not play a great match. In the first half, we were not ourselves. We improved in the second half, but Real Madrid decided the game with a counter-attack that we did not defend well.”

Barcelona had hoped to win the match as a gift for their supporters, but their performance left them without a point and ended their run of nine consecutive La Liga victories.

“We lost the ball in a naive way on several occasions, and against Real Madrid you pay for those mistakes,” Pedri added.

“We wanted to win the Clasico to dedicate the victory to our fans.”

He insisted the result would not decide the title race, despite Barcelona remaining top of the table.

“It is only three points. The season is still long, and the league will not be decided in this match,” Pedri said.

The defeat was Barcelona’s second in succession in all competitions. They were beaten 4-2 by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League several days earlier.

Real Madrid’s win took them to 24 points in third place, one point behind second-placed Atletico Madrid. Barcelona remain first with 27 points.

The result also gave Real Madrid their first victory over Barcelona at Camp Nou since the 2023/2024 season. That previous success came in October 2023, when Real Madrid also won 2-1.