“Every little thing Robert received at Bayern Munich, the targets he scored, it was all with the purpose of ending up the place he’s now: enjoying for Barcelona.”
Robert Lewandowski’s profession has been filled with targets, however two summers in the past he fulfilled what’s truthful to explain as his final ambition. The quote above comes from a supply very near the 35-year-old striker — who, like all these cited on this article, most popular to talk anonymously to guard relationships.
Signing for Barca was a longstanding purpose of Lewandowski’s. However since becoming a member of for €45million (£38.5m; $48.7m at present charges) in July 2022, not the whole lot has turned as rosily as he might need anticipated. This season has not been his best, and uncertainty has developed round his place on the membership — despite the fact that this week’s Champions League round-of-16 first leg at Napoli comes as he has begun to indicate higher kind in entrance of aim.
Lewandowski was the star of the present in Barcelona’s La Liga victory at Celta Vigo on Saturday, scoring a brace that included a 97th-minute winner from the penalty spot, and he now has 4 targets from Barca’s previous three matches.
This latest momentum, nonetheless, exhibits up as a uncommon vibrant spot when wanting again throughout what has to this point been a really disappointing marketing campaign at Barcelona. Lewandowski has not been the one participant underperforming, however his standing as a marquee signing opens him as much as additional scrutiny, and wider considerations over his suitability have been rising for a while.
Lewandowski’s arrival at Barca was meant to sign the true place to begin of a brand new mission beneath Xavi. One in all Europe’s most prolific goalscorers was to behave as a task mannequin for a brand new era and assist the membership neglect Lionel Messi’s traumatic departure.
Now, that ‘mission’ has primarily already folded, with Xavi to step down on the finish of the season. And Lewandowski appears to be like set for a tense switch window in the summertime, with some on the membership already resolved to looking for a sale — except he can show the doubters improper.
“Lots of people imagine Barcelona have to have a franchise participant. A go-to man who sells shirts, represents the general public picture of the staff and turns into a cause to draw followers to the stadium. Deep down, that was the reasoning behind Lewandowski’s signing in 2022.”
That is how a senior membership supply describes the gamble Barcelona took two summers in the past with Lewandowski’s signing from Bayern. The earlier summer time had seen the membership’s largest legend, Messi, leaving in tears, whereas different key figures comparable to Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba gave the impression to be reaching the ultimate levels of their careers in Catalonia. It was determined the Camp Nou wanted a brand new idol, and president Joan Laporta seemed to Lewandowski.
The deal to convey him didn’t wholly escape criticism on the time. In the summertime of 2021, Barcelona determined to not prolong Messi’s contract, with phrases already agreed, with a view to assist resolve the membership’s monetary issues. One 12 months later, they spent €45million on a 33-year-old Lewandowski, signing him to a three-year cope with an possibility for a fourth. This August, he’ll flip 36.
If the Messi deal had been accomplished, the Argentinian would have earned €20million within the first 12 months of his new contract, earlier than then seeing his wage improve considerably. Lewandowski’s annual wage, as a median over 4 years, is reportedly set at €26m.
However Lewandowski hit the bottom working. Over 2022-23, he scored 33 targets and offered eight assists in all competitions. He was La Liga’s high scorer with 23 as Barca received their first league title in 4 years. Regardless of as soon as once more struggling Champions League failure (they have been eradicated on the group stage) Barca followers had some cause to hope they have been seeing the beginning of one thing larger.
But, you may additionally see the early indicators of issues starting to construct to the place they’re now.
The 2022 World Cup was clearly the turning level in Lewandowski’s debut season. Earlier than its begin, he scored 13 targets within the first 15 La Liga matches of the season, additionally grabbing 5 Champions League targets.
After getting back from a disappointing show with Poland (he scored two targets they usually have been knocked out within the last-16 by France), nothing was fairly the identical. Lewandowski misplaced a little bit of his spark, which might be regular in a season, however because it turned out, it by no means actually got here again.
Lewandowski performed 19 extra video games in La Liga after Qatar 2022, scoring 10 targets, of which 4 got here with the title already secured. Tensions within the dressing room began to seem, in addition to frustration with himself. However most important of all, it additionally grew to become clear that the perfect model of Xavi’s Barcelona was not totally suitable along with his most popular model of play.
Barca’s Supercopa de Espana victory over Actual Madrid in January 2023 remains to be arguably probably the most convincing show beneath Xavi’s tenure. They outclassed their Clasico rivals in a 3-1 win ignited by a tactical tweak: sacrificing one winger for one more physique in a four-strong midfield.
Xavi was satisfied it offered the trail to comply with, regardless of the impact it had on Lewandowski.
“I understood this staff wanted extra management and fewer transitions and that’s why we modified our method a bit,” he mentioned on the day Barca have been topped league champions following victory over metropolis rivals Espanyol, in Could final 12 months.
“We felt higher controlling the ball and I prioritised the gamers that didn’t lose possession. That’s how I perceive soccer, it belongs to that sort of gamers: the midfielders who’re all the time capable of hold the ball.“
Lewandowski didn’t see issues fairly so positively. In an unique interview with The Athletic throughout Barca’s pre-season tour final summer time, he described how he had been left annoyed by the change. He knew dropping a winger meant fewer probabilities to obtain balls and crosses into the field, the strongest space of his recreation.
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There was a scenario to resolve right here. From the staff’s tactical perspective, they needed to discover a higher match for his or her star striker. From the participant’s aspect, he wanted to get well the shape he showcased in 2022.
As an alternative of an answer being discovered, issues solely received worse.
Lewandowski’s 4 targets in three matches adopted a six-match dry spell (DAX Pictures/NurPhoto by way of Getty Pictures)
“We don’t possess the standard of 2010 Barcelona, we simply don’t. We have to run our socks off. If we don’t run like animals, we received’t win video games. If we will’t be medical, we have to have soul as a staff. That is Barcelona, issues want to vary.”
After his aspect’s ultimate league match of 2023, Xavi directed his most important phrases as Barca supervisor. That they had simply managed to get away with a scrappy 3-2 win towards La Liga’s backside aspect Almeria, in a recreation they have been drawing 1-1 on the break.
A number of days later, it emerged that Lewandowski had are available for sturdy criticism from Xavi in a half-time dressing-room deal with that railed towards an absence of depth and aggression amongst his gamers.
By that time, teaching employees sources had already began to explain Lewandowski’s goalscoring effectiveness as beneath what was anticipated. Additionally they thought he had misplaced a few of his power in particular person duels, and have been involved by his worsening link-up play.
Evaluating his La Liga stats for this season and final (in line with Fbref.com), Lewandowski has an analogous fee of balls miscontrolled per recreation (round 2.7) and aerial duels received (53.6 per cent final season; 52.8 per cent this season). However his passing success fee has decreased considerably.
For brief passes, there’s a drop from 83.9 per cent final season to 77. 7 per cent this season, whereas medium-range passes fall from 77.1 per cent to 71.4 per cent, and long-range passes from 65.2 per cent to 55.6 per cent.
His anticipated targets (xG) knowledge doesn’t look too dangerous at this level. Over 2022-23, he scored 23 targets from 24.3 xG in La Liga, whereas this season he’s on 12 targets from 14.6 xG.
Nevertheless, it’s value mentioning that, earlier than his 4 targets from Barca’s final three league video games, he was on eight targets from 12.1xG and had solely scored thrice within the competitors since September (with two matches out injured).
Lewandowski has to this point scored 17 instances and offered six assists throughout 33 video games in all competitions this season. His match-winning strike towards Celta on Saturday was his fiftieth for Barca.
And but this time period Xavi has subbed him off 4 instances with the staff drawing and in want of targets (towards Actual Sociedad, Las Palmas, Actual Betis and Villarreal). Additionally it is clear that team-mates have been struggling to attach with him. Final season he averaged 34.3 touches per league recreation. His common to this point this marketing campaign is 26.7.
Is Lewandowski solely guilty for having barely decrease numbers at this stage of his profession? In all probability not — and clearly Xavi’s change of system additionally had an impact.
However off the pitch, there have been points too.
Lewandowski and Yamal, pictured in September (Pedro Salado/High quality Sport Pictures/Getty Pictures)
Lewandowski is thought to be an trustworthy character. As quickly as he believes one thing is improper, he’ll say it. This has led to some moments of friction.
In February final 12 months, dressing-room sources mentioned that after Manchester United knocked Barca out of the Europa League at Outdated Trafford, Lewandowski had a verbal alternate with Ansu Fati, who he criticised for being too egocentric and never combining with team-mates when he had higher choices than to shoot.
This season, in November towards Deportivo Alaves, we additionally noticed Lewandowski complaining to 16-year-old Lamine Yamal when the winger determined to shoot as a substitute of crossing.
However this friction doesn’t reveal a essentially dangerous relationship, and nobody within the dressing room has ever doubted Lewandowski’s dedication to the staff. When Xavi personally advised gamers of his determination to step down, a day after he introduced it at a January post-match press convention, Lewandowski confirmed his appreciation for the work he had carried out in a tricky second for the membership. Xavi was significantly moved by that.
Hours later, Lewandowski confirmed he might nonetheless be counted as one of many dressing-room leaders by organising a staff dinner at his residence in Castelldefels, which all of the first-team gamers attended. It was a team-building exercise, held with the approval of the membership, to assist focus minds on the remainder of the season to return.
So what’s subsequent for Lewandowski at Barcelona?
With Barcelona needing to promote gamers earlier than fascinated about how you can reshape their squad this summer time (and appoint a brand new supervisor), a number of senior sources on the membership say they’d welcome a profitable provide for him.
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However, right here — as with a number of others of these Barca would ideally like to maneuver on — the facility is on the participant’s aspect. Beneath contract till not less than 2025, he has no need to go away. He additionally totally believes he’s able to overcoming his latest dip in kind and returning persistently to his goalscoring greatest.
Lewandowski dreamed for years of becoming a member of Barcelona, and sources near the participant say they perceive how the ambiance across the membership can flip significantly bitter when issues don’t go to plan.
When it comes to his contract, he has another 12 months totally assured earlier than an possibility for a fourth that will likely be routinely triggered if he performs over 55 per cent of Barca’s video games throughout 2024-25.
All the identical, we will count on strain would possibly come in the summertime, within the type of media studies suggesting how helpful his departure might be for the membership’s funds. Lewandowski’s camp is totally conscious of what occurred with Frenkie de Jong in 2022, when Barca spent the summer time attempting to power him out.
However, for the second, regardless of the doubts amongst a training staff that’s set to depart, regardless of the additional stress and scrutiny his place brings, Lewandowski is within the precise place he desires to be. And for him and Barcelona, there ought to be no speedy concern extra urgent than Wednesday’s journey to Naples.
(High photograph: DAX Pictures/NurPhoto by way of Getty Pictures)
