Barcelona News Roundup: Koeman explains tactical switch, Pedri injury update, and more | 28th February, 2021

Barcelona came away with all three points against Sevilla on Saturday, courtesy goals from Ousmane Dembele and Lionel Messi. The Blaugrana now find themselves second in the 2020-21 La Liga table, two points behind leaders Atletico Madrid, who have two games in hand, though.

Ronald Koeman's men face Sevilla again in midweek for the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final tie. Barcelona need to overturn a 2-0 deficit to advance to the final of the competition. The Blaugrana have won the Copa Del Rey a record 23 times, but last won the competition in 2018; they lost to Valencia in the title match the next year.

On that note, let's have a look at the latest Barcelona news as on 28th February, 2021

---

Ronald Koeman explains Barcelona's tactical switch

Ronald Koeman switched up Barcelona's tactics

Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman set up Barcelona differently in the La Liga win against Sevilla on Saturday. The Dutchman employed a three-at-the-back for the first time this season, but the change worked like a charm.

Koeman explained his change of tactics in an interview with Marca. He told the publication in this regard:

"We tried to pressure the opponent, and playing with three centre-backs and full-backs pressing high made it easier for us to not let Sevilla play. That’s been the key. It’s a risky system, but without the ball we pressed and tried to play one-on-one. Our game off the ball was key. It was a complete game."

Ronald Koeman: "The team has been phenomenal. For me, the key was not to let Sevilla get into their games. We played with pressure and aggression." pic.twitter.com/QbkSJkY6e0

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) February 27, 2021

---

Pedri could miss a few weeks due to injury

Pedri in action for Barcelona

Meanwhile, Pedri came off injured in the 2-0 win against Sevilla on Saturday. The 18-year-old seemed to have injured his left leg and had to be subbed off in the 71st minute.

Barcelona confirmed that the winger came off due to a muscular injury in his left leg but are unsure about how long Pedri could be out of action.

The Blaugrana have a crucial few weeks ahead of them. The winger is expected to miss their Copa del Rey semi-final against Sevilla in midweek and could be out of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash against PSG as well.

🚨 Barcelona announced earlier that Pedri pulled his left calf muscle and is out of action for an as–yet uncertain period of time #fcblive [fcb] pic.twitter.com/DoBxRjsjrl

— FCBarcelonaFl (@FCBarcelonaFl) February 28, 2021

---

Gerard Pique believes in Barcelona's title chances

Gerard Pique believes Barcelona can challenge for the La Liga title.

Gerard Pique talked about Barcelona's title chances following their 2-0 win over Sevilla. Barcelona have had an uptick in form since the turn of the year; they are unbeaten in the La Liga in 2021.

Speaking after the Sevilla game, the Barcelona defender told reporters:

"The league’s on. Until it’s mathematically impossible, it’s on. Worse things have been seen. In two games, we weren’t up to scratch, but we can have confidence with what this team’s done in 2021. A team like Sevilla, at home, have not created any chances. We dominated for 90 minutes, pressing high, playing in their half. It’s not the ideal situation, but we have confidence in the team."