SPORTSWORLD.AM
The Pole didn't become a club legend. But they haven't had a striker like him in a long time.
Barcelona had another great season under Hans-Dieter Flick. Winning La Liga was inevitable, by a wide margin. They even secured the title in the Clasico, fantastic. They also won the Super Cup, also in the Clasico.
On the other hand, things didn't go as planned, both in the Copa del Rey and the Champions League. Both times they stumbled against Atletico. They could have recovered from their first few defeats, but they couldn't. Why? One of the reasons is the lack of a top-class striker.
“What about Robert Lewandowski?” you ask. He is a top-class striker, there is no doubt about that. However, age has clearly begun to affect the quality of his play and his physical abilities this season. After all, he is 38 years old, and that is no joke. Time spares no one.
If Lewandowski were in today's Barcelona, say, in the team of last season or any of the previous 10 seasons, the chances of a successful comeback against Atletico Madrid in both the Copa del Rey semi-finals and the Champions League would have been many times greater. In both games, the Catalans created numerous chances, but only converted a few. Lewandowski played just 22 minutes in the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg, and due to injury, he did not even participate in the Champions League quarter-final second leg.
In fact, it is this season, during which the Pole, due to his age, has played significantly less than before (less than 2,500 minutes in all competitions), which clearly shows how important he is for Barça. Flick simply does not have another player like him. Neither Ferran Torres, nor Fermin Lopez, nor Marcus Rashford can play under the number nine like Lewandowski. Robert has repeatedly demonstrated his talent this season. But it is already becoming difficult for him to spend the entire long season from start to finish without a break.
Barcelona haven't had a striker of Lewandowski's caliber since Luis Suarez. Yes, he and Robert are different, and each interprets the role of a striker differently. However, both are natural, top-class strikers. Suarez has scored one and a half times more goals for Barcelona than Lewandowski (195 goals to 119). But he has also played significantly more games (283 goals to 191). So their goals-per-game ratio is roughly the same: 0.69 for Suarez and 0.62 for Lewandowski.
Another problem is that the Uruguayan played for a very strong Barcelona team. His last season was disappointing, losing 2-8 to Bayern, even when the Pole was a starter. However, for almost all of Luis' time with the Catalans, they were excellent. A trio with Leo Messi and Neymar, a Champions League victory. Suarez clung to everything. The financial hell at Barcelona was just beginning, and its consequences were only apparent after the Uruguayan had already left the club.
Lewandowski arrived in this hell, sinking deep into it. Transfer difficulties, the inability to properly announce new players: all this had already happened under Robert. Fortunately, he was announced without any serious problems. But overall, the last few years have been very turbulent for Barcelona as a club. Naturally, this has affected the team. However, Lewandowski has still provided quality, both under Xavi and, of course, Flick.
Robert arrived in Catalonia at the age of 34 (not yet 38, but still a very respectable age) and lived the third wave of his career there, after Borussia and, of course, Bayern. He adapted to a completely new league and during his years at Barça he scored, scored and scored goals.
He has also had his share of ups and downs in his game. For example, his second season under Xavi Lewandowski, like the rest of Barça, was, to put it mildly, unsuccessful. Robert's current season, due to his age, has also been uneven. However, overall, the Polish coach's Spanish career has undoubtedly been successful.