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Graham Hunter, Spain author
Throughout his years in LaLiga, I do not imagine there was anybody as forensically essential of Robert Lewandowski‘s angle and efficiency than me, and so it is with nice pleasure that I admit it is time to redress the stability. The actual Robert Lewandowski has ultimately stood up once more. He is realised that the true path to glory is to place the staff above himself, and the product of this metamorphosis is fairly pleasant.
For these new to the argument, which I really feel it is value underlining has been confirmed wholly correct, this is a abstract of my constructive criticism:
There was by no means any hiding from the truth that the Poland striker arrived aged 33 and, as such, could not be fairly the identical athlete who’d monstered defences in Germany and Europe for the earlier eight years. When he started to lose type and motivation within the weeks following the 2022 World Cup, the model of Lewandowski he supplied up was unacceptable. He performed greedily, dropped his work charge, persistently failed to regulate good passes, and whereas it is utterly inarguable that the 13 objectives he scored in his first 12 La Liga matches have been a big step in the direction of Barcelona profitable the title, his 4 within the subsequent fourteen have been a warning of his malaise.
It was by no means an argument primarily based solely on his stats, although; it was about his mentality, angle, staff play, work charge, reliability and probably the most fundamental means to obtain and maintain the ball for the advantage of his staff.
In the course of the second half of final season, Lewandowski supplied an more and more pale model of himself, to the purpose that his incapability to dash past a excessive line of defense and his very evident drop in requirements meant that Barça usually truly performed higher, extra fluid soccer when he wasn’t within the XI.
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In the end Barcelona’s highest wage earner admitted that there was an issue.
“In 2023, there have been instances after I felt weak, not solely mentally… that led to feeling bodily weaker,” Lewandowski mentioned in an interview with Polish soccer programme Foot Truck. “In that interval, all of the dangerous issues got here collectively on the identical time — every part appeared to build up without delay.
“My spark went out. I am not avoiding saying that I made some errors; I fell right into a unfavorable dynamic and it took a variety of time to get out of it, to grow to be regular once more. In soccer, working via one thing like this is not a course of of 1 or two weeks.”
On which foundation, sympathies to Lewandowski. Whereas it was underwhelming and complicated to observe him taking part in with such a scarcity of fundamental standards, the afflictions he describes are really corrosive to the human spirit, and it is solely recently that soccer is starting to take the psychological wellbeing of its members something like significantly. It is good to see and listen to him nicely once more.
And it is value emphasising, as soon as extra, that the proof of his return to regular service is not about stats alone.
Lewandowski arrived in Barcelona badly stung by the way in which wherein the Ballon d’Or had escaped him in current seasons. A part of his technique was to hitch an important, however ailing, membership, unite with a returning, alluring club-legend in supervisor Xavi Hernandez, and, hopefully, lead the Blaugrana to Champions League glory, thereby vastly growing his Ballon d’Or possibilities. Not the daftest technique you’ve got ever heard, admittedly, however torpedoed by the truth that Barcelona have been embarrassed in Europe final season: dumped out of the Champions League within the group stage after which instantly ushered out of the Europa League by a really average Manchester United who’d later be crushed by relegation-threatened Sevilla.
All of this badly affected Lewandowski’s morale. He’d come for glory, he’d come for acclaim and he’d barely thought-about the concept European soccer, with Barça, is likely to be a humiliating expertise.
From the purpose at which he got here to phrases with all this, a revival started. Two current items of proof underline the purpose.
Barcelona spent final week dealing with two matches of giant significance, each of which they may fairly simply have misplaced, which might have successfully ended their season: Napoli at residence within the Champions League and Atletico Madrid away in LaLiga.
The primary recreation was railroaded towards victory when Lewandowski, working on to an excellent penalty field likelihood, opted to dummy Raphinha‘s cute cut-back within the fifteenth minute. His alternative fooled two Napoli defenders and FermÃn López was left in splendid isolation to side-foot the ball residence for 1-0. Go watch it once more; it was very good, very selfless staff play from the striker.
The purpose is that this was an motion about which, final season, Lewandowski would unquestionably have had tunnel imaginative and prescient. Ball within the field? Younger child behind me? Two defenders doubtlessly in my method? I am the mighty Robert Lewandowski — my ball, my likelihood. It could have been the improper alternative and Napoli would have escaped punishment.
Subsequent instance.
Barça have been 2-0 up at Atleti’s Metropolitano Stadium on Sunday and Lewandowski, left barely adrift by the tempo of the Sixty fifth-minute assault, made a superb catch-up dash to reach on the fringe of the penalty space simply as Jules Koundé is seeking to make a move. The France worldwide lays the ball backwards and, admirably, Barcelona’s veteran striker has nothing on his thoughts aside from: “What’s the best choice?”
Once more, there have been numerous moments final 12 months when the adrenaline of “That is my second” would have overwhelmed Lewandowski. Time for some Polish magic! adopted by a low-percentage shot rifled in the direction of Jan Oblak‘s high nook that might have, in all chance, roared over the bar. As an alternative he appears up, takes intention and lifts a fully millimetre-perfect cross onto the top of the onrushing Lopez (once more) who powers the ball residence for 3-0. Superb.
It is value noting that the unselfish, team-oriented Lewandowski can also be getting his rewards in soccer’s model of quid professional quo. In every of these matches he scored objectives of his personal, the clinching 3-1 aim in midweek which sends Barça via to play Paris Saint-Germain within the final eight and the brilliantly executed 2-0 strike in Madrid on Sunday.
The higher he performs for the staff, the higher his private rewards are. It is a lesson value studying.
“This was in all probability one of the best recreation of the season for me, however that is not the vital factor … the vital factor is that, as a staff, we performed very nicely certainly,” Lewandowski instructed LaLiga TV after going second within the desk by beating Atletico (who, in principle, they may nonetheless face once more if the 2 Spanish groups beat PSG and Borussia Dortmund, respectively, within the Champions League quarterfinals.)
In fact, there are nuances so as to add.
In February, as quickly as elimination from the Copa del Rey eliminated Barcelona from a punishing three-games-per-week treadmill, Xavi took what’s proving to be a wise danger by significantly growing the athletic depth of coaching. Doing so midseason, with drained gamers and dealing with an already gritty harm record, was a danger, nevertheless it has paid large dividends.
Barça are taking part in higher, extra assured, profitable soccer week by week, and Lewandowski has benefitted massively. Each personally, as a result of he is a lot sharper, and when it comes to what sort of staff he is taking part in in.
Lastly, Xavi’s choice to cowl the huge hole left by Sergio Busquets‘ departure by transferring Andreas Christensen to pivote in the course of midfield has added defensive rigour to the staff and allowed guys like Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, Ilkay Gündogan and Lopez, alternatively, to play a lot greater up the pitch and far nearer to Lewandowski. He is much less remoted, he is received extra passing choices and he is getting higher service. It is all a course of.
However the return to pleased days for Robert Lewandowski started with him shaking off the malaise that badly him final 12 months, and about which too few have been daring sufficient to jot down critically. What can be his reward in the course of the remnants of Barcelona’s LaLiga and Champions League seasons? Keep tuned: large Bobby’s again on his recreation and it is enjoyable to observe.