“A fantastic new signing” – at FC Barcelona they are not only enthusiastic about Robert Lewandowski’s goals. Now it comes in the Champions League to meet his former club Bayern Munich. There they are now considering how to stop Lewandowski – and how to position Thomas Müller.
Robert Lewandowski recently found himself in unfamiliar surroundings. When FC Barcelona played FC Cádiz in the Primera División on Saturday, he was only on the substitutes’ bench. You hadn’t seen him for a long time, only this time it was time to be careful.
It was the 57th minute when Lewandowski came on and it was 1-0. It was a different game from then on. Lewandowski scored one goal himself and prepared two goals. In general, not only since the game in Cadiz does one have the impression that there are currently two Barcelona players – one with Lewandowski and one without him.
Lewandowski, 34, has not been at Barca for long, his transfer from Bayern Munich in mid-July was accompanied by discord. Lewandowski really wanted the change, Bayern wanted to prevent it. The end is known. After 375 competitive games with 344 goals and 19 titles, it was the end of an era – and it wasn’t a nice one.
In Spain they call Lewandowski “Mr. Gol”
In Barcelona, there is no other way to put it, the first impression is quite positive. Lewandowski has scored nine goals in six competitive games, and the newspaper “Sport” has dubbed him “Mr. Gol”. A translation is unnecessary.
But it’s not just Lewandowski’s goals they’re admiring in Barcelona. Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez, whom everyone just calls Xavi, has often spoken about Lewandowski in recent weeks. A few days ago he then tried it with a threat. He soon ran out of words to praise Lewandowski, said Xavi – and then started singing a hymn of praise.
“How he plays and lets the team play, how he finds teammates, how he can read the room, his pressing. I’m just amazed by him“Xavi said. “He’s a leader, a winner, just an incredibly fantastic new signing.”
Nagelsmann, Barcelona and an unusable hard drive
So that’s the mood in Barcelona. With Lewandowski, that’s the hope, it could also work against a feared opponent. On Tuesday evening (September 13th, 2022) FC Barcelona will play Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Barcelona have not won any of the last four games against Bayern, two years ago it was even 8-2.
Lewandowski scored a goal for Bayern and prepared one – after all, that won’t happen to FC Barcelona this time.
Of course, in the days leading up to the game, a lot was reported about Lewandowski’s personality and his journey into the past. Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann observed that Barcelona played very differently with Lewandowski than without him. He said: “They have a completely different spirit. The impressions of the last two, three, four games against Barcelona can be erased from your hard drive.”
Bayern without Lewandowski – many legs, new tactics
At Bayern they reacted to Lewandowski’s move with a tactical adjustment. They play different football there without Lewandowski, more variable and without a real centre-forward. In the new 4-2-2-2 system, Sadio Mané, Thomas Müller, Jamal Musiala, Kinglsey Coman, Leroy Sané, Serge Gnabry and sometimes Mathys Tel take turns in the four offensive positions.
In the first three league games, Bayern scored 15 goals, and then they hardly spoke about Lewandowski. But now, of all things, that Lewandowski is returning for an evening to annoy Bayern, they have their problems. Also with scoring. Most recently there were three draws in a row in the league, Bayern had many chances but only scored four times.
Müller actually always scores against Barca
Thomas Müller is someone who can score goals. But he has only scored once this season. On the day of the reunion with Lewandowski, it is Müller’s birthday, he will be 33. He has witnessed Lewandowski’s eight years in Munich from the first to the last day, they may not always have agreed, but they have scored many goals for each other.
Most recently, said Müller, the newcomer Mané often came to him and always made the same joke. That he, that is Müller, just not “accidentally passed a pass to Lewy”, i.e. Lewandowski, should play. A pass to Mané is then the better option.
Müller may also be thinking about a statistic that is often quoted at the moment. FC Barcelona appears in it, it’s also about Bayern and Müller. Then it says something about seven games and eight goals, and you know that: Müller actually always scores against Barcelona.