Appointments.
Facing Almeria, the only non-win team in the top five leagues this season, Barcelona bid farewell to 2023 with a victory, but the 3-2 scoreline really made the defending champions once again fall into doubt.
In fact, Xavi, who knew he was in danger of being sacked, roared in the dressing room at half-time, including Robert Lewandowski.
A word to wake up the person in the dream?The Poles failed to score in the second half, but led the team in the number of shots on target, the number of aerial duels and the number of scoring chances created, and most importantly, the Pole's imaginative crosses were the culmination of his team-mates.
Frankly speaking, Lewandowski's efficiency of 8 goals in 16 games in La Liga in the new season is not bad, but when it comes to measuring expectations with a superstar halo, the Pole, who was the Golden Boot of La Liga last season, has fallen into the longest goal drought in nearly 13 years.
When Bellingham, who scored 13 goals in 15 games, unscrupulously interprets the name of Houlang, Lewandowski, who was born in 1988, will inevitably be disgusted and old.
The most important thing is that when Barcelona was left behind by the dark horse Girona and the rival Real Madrid in the standings, ** took the opportunity to question the rationality of the deal for the nth time, after all, Lewandowski's annual salary in Barcelona for four years was 20 million, 26 million, 32 million, and 26 million (before tax) respectively.
From Bayern to Barcelona, it was an adventure and a challenge for Lewandowski to jump out of his comfort zone, and in fact, in just a year and a half in the Iberian Peninsula, the Poles have already performed the joy and sorrow to the extreme.
For example, he is the first player in history to win the Golden Boot of the five major leagues for six consecutive seasons, and he is also the first La Liga scorer to not have the blessing of penalty kicks since Guissa in the 2007-08 season, for example, he has only scored 3 goals in the last three months, even in the face of the so-called soft persimmon, it seems powerless, and the "Barcelona lack of confidence in Lewandowski" is not fabricated out of thin air, so that Laporta can't wait to let the Brazilian genius Roque report to the Camp Nou half a year early, as if preparing a reshuffle plan.
The back waves of the Yangtze River pushing the front waves are the immutable laws of the competitive world, of course, this can also be understood as Barcelona's "friendly reminder" to Lewandowski, after all, the decline of the Poles in the past two or three years is quite obvious.
The data is the most straightforward proof - in 2021, he scored 69 goals in the Bayern and Polish national teams, and was named the top scorer of the year, and is a veritable "world striker", scoring a total of 42 goals in Bayern, Barcelona and the Polish national team in 2022, and can still demonstrate with the younger generation of Mbappe and Haaland, while Lewandowski in 2023 has only scored 28 goals for Barcelona and the Polish national team.
In stark contrast, Kane was named Sofascore's Top Scorer of the Year, Erling Haaland was named BBC Sports Star of the Year, and Kylian Mbappe scored 50+ goals for three consecutive years, becoming the first French player.
Lewandowski who is compared is easy to stand on the cusp, Spain's suggestion that "he should look for more opportunities in the penalty area" is already a euphemism, in fact, in the Champions League group stage in which Barcelona was upset by Shakhtar Donetsk and Antwerp one after another, the goalless Lewandowski was used as a negative teaching material.
Especially in Barcelona's 2-3 loss to Antwerp, the Pole didn't even get a chance to shoot on goal in the whole game, so that his own fans ridiculed him for not being as good as Pepe, who has repeatedly broken the record for the oldest goal in the Champions League, perhaps Lewandowski forgot the bold words at the beginning of the new season: "I believe that I can perform better in the second season." ”
The difficulty of Barcelona's defense of La Liga has increased dramatically, and Lewandowski's happiness has also been reduced, he has complained that Xavi's line-up has not given him enough support in the front court, he has had a verbal conflict with Yamal on the pitch, and the Pole's high annual salary has gradually fermented into a burden in the turmoil of Barca's unfavorable years.
Interestingly, the clause states that in his third season with Barcelona, if Lewandowski starts or comes off the bench for 45 minutes or does not play more than 55% of the team's total games in that season, then the club can terminate his contract at the end of that season. This is Barcelona's means to stop losses in time, but I didn't expect Lewandowski, who has only landed in La Liga for the second year, to change from Xiao Tiantian to Mrs. Niu so quickly.
We have to look for Lewandowski more and we have to create more chances for him because he is an incredible striker. Xavi doesn't mind Lewandowski's recklessness, and Lewandowski is always a key factor that cannot be ignored when Gavi and Pedri are on the waiver card, and the pair is in a kind of huddle mode.
Although Xavi gave Lewandowski a serious "lesson" in the dressing room, the tone was more like a "you could have been" spiritual encouragement, and the Pole, who had turned down the invitation of the Saudi giants, seemed to be beginning to unwind his guards, saying that he liked the beaches of Barcelona, he said that it felt like home, and of course complimented Xavi: "He was an incredible player when he was a player, and he did the right thing when he was a coach, that's why you will support him and follow him." ”
Lewandowski has the strength to turn around, and the old days of the "95 Supreme" naturally make the relish, this season after Melo, the third in history to score 100 European goals is also envied by others, and the most important thing is that self-discipline and diligence have always been the labels of the Poles.
Looking back on his career, the transformation from a weak teenager to a city-destroying machine is an inspirational song, and it is even hard to imagine that Lewandowski was questioned by his coach as "unfit to play professional football" when he went to Warsaw United for a tryout.
Later, under the care of his wife, Lewandowski, who had a scientific diet + fitness training, rarely suffered major injuries, even though he could not catch up with his past self under the pressure of the years, but it was not easy for Barcelona to find a replacement for Lewandowski in the transfer market.
Although Roque, who was born in 2005, is regarded as a new generation of Roque, it is too far away from the days when the ghost is in charge, so look at it, Lewandowski and Barcelona have space to do and cherish, even if the championship situation is not optimistic, but mutual dislike and injury naturally outweigh the losses.