Pedro Should Fear for His Place at Barcelona This Season

Pedro coasted through last season and the Barcelona forward should worry about his place in the team.

However, the Spaniard says he is pleased with his initial performances and is only lacking a goal.

He said on Monday, at a Barcelona press conference, per SPORT:

"

Maybe I need a goal, but I am happy. I just want to work and be in the team. I'm competing with the best strikers in the world. I want to do my job and let Luis Enrique decide.

"

It's all very well wanting to work hard but to become a key part of a great Barcelona side takes star quality.

He has been good in the past and he is not a bad player, per se, but when Luis Suarez is eligible to play and Neymar is reincorporated back into the starting line-up, it leave no space for the Canarian.

Lionel Messi, of course, is guaranteed a spot in the front three and Pedro isn't versatile enough to play as part of Barcelona's midfield.

Rafinha, for example, is a central midfielder but he possesses the skills and physical attributes to also play in Pedro's position on the right or left of the attack.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

But as well as the established talents that stand in his way, there are a few youngsters hot on his heels.

Munir El Haddadi and Sandro Ramirez have both had blistering starts to the season and are also capable of playing on the left or the right flank, around Messi.

Pedro commented on them, too, at the same press conference, saying: "They need to continue working with the same reassurance, enthusiasm and confidence. They have adapted quickly to the dressing room, started strongly and it is good if they can keep that level."

If you ask most Barcelona fans, Pedro would be behind most of the other competitors for his position.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Another ineffective display ended with him being replaced by Sandro during Barcelona's 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

As mentioned earlier, Pedro is not a bad footballer. But with Barcelona looking to regain ownership of La Liga, he will be a squad player at best.

At 27 he is in his prime and needs to be playing week in, week out.

The forward is well advised to seek a move to the Premier League or other pastures new in January or the summer.

One stumbling block to that would be Barcelona's transfer ban, which prevents them adding new players to the squad.

However, the rise of Munir and Sandro, and the return of Gerard Deulofeu on loan at Sevilla, should more than compensate for the loss of Pedro.

Although, at times, he seemed promising, and he has more than a handful of brilliant moments in a Barcelona shirt, Pedro was never really quite good enough to become a king at the Camp Nou.