With the exception of a late decline at the finish of the match, it would be fair to say that the narrow scorecard of 1-0 does an injustice to the dominance that Barcelona displayed. This is because the most significant accomplishment that Barcelona accomplished against Atletico Madrid was to get all three points.

There were several opportunities that were missed, but the midfield stood out as particularly noteworthy. As a result of Gundogan, Frenkie de Jong, and Pedri’s contributions to the game, Atletico Madrid was left chasing shadows.

Xavi was aware of the necessity of expanding upon the flashes of brilliance that were displayed during the second half of the match against Porto. Rather than rushing plays, Barcelona’s long-forgotten superiority was brought back to life by placing their trust in the seasoned maestros in the middle of the field.

To dominate the midfield

Taking a closer look at the statistics of the three players that played in the middle of the field, it is simple to understand why Barcelona was able to maintain control of the game for the majority of the ninety minutes.

The German player Ilkay Gundogan took on multiple responsibilities at the same time, making him the most notable player in the middle of the field.

The German was the player who tried the most passes (100), with an 88% success rate, and had the most touches (113 times). He also had the highest success percentage.

In addition to being the man who played the most balls in the final third of the attack (28 out of 36 with success), Gundogan was also the guy who was unlucky enough to not have registered a single assist.

As Gundogan moved closer to Pedri and Frenkie, the team’s compactness in possession and the tight proximity between his partners in crime made it possible for him to reveal his true colors. Alongside De Jong, the former captain of Manchester City also achieved the most number of ball recoveries, including six.

Additionally, the Dutchman had a fantastic outing, with what could be considered his best performance since he returned from his injury.

Atletico Madrid was defeated by Barcelona in the midfield duel. Image courtesy of Getty Images and taken by PAU BARRENA/AFP()

Additionally, De Jong was able to boast his fair share of records, as he demonstrated that he was the second-most accurate player in the match, with 83 passes that were correct. During the last moments of the game, Frenkie was more accurate than Gundogan, as he only missed one ball out of a total of twenty-two attempts throughout the final attacking phase.

Finally, Pedri scattered spells of peace and charm over the game, proving to also present his best exhibition since returning from a protracted injury break. Pedri’s performance was considered to be his best since he returned.

There were 64 occasions that Pedri made contact with the ball today, which is more than twice as many times as he did in the games that came before. On account of this, the increased participation of the Canary Islander was certain to result in a masterclass.

After Gundogan and De Jong, the 21-year-old player had the most successful passes completed (58), which was an impressive accomplishment. To add insult to injury, Pedri was the player for Barcelona who created the most opportunities (3), making the most of his advanced position by providing defensive and offensive options.

However, in addition to his inventiveness in attacking, he dutifully carried out his defensive responsibilities. A total of four balls were recovered by the Spaniard, who was the player at Barcelona who applied the highest pressure 33 times.

Even though there was a lot riding on the outcome of the game, the Blaugrana midfielders were able to orchestrate plays with pinpoint accuracy, demonstrating the qualities that define a midfield maestro.