The fact that João Félix has suddenly found form, attitude and goals at Barcelona is bad news for Robert Lewandowski. Why? Because it means that the spotlight must now inexorably turn towards the defending LaLiga champions’ highest-paid, most-experienced, but worst-performing player.
Barcelona are, on the face of it, not in any kind of disastrous situation. They’re four points off the top in LaLiga and have finally qualified again for the Champions League knockout rounds after two horrendous seasons in which they exited the competition during the group stage and then the Europa League in undignified, and financially unrewarding, circumstances.
But Barca have been playing apathetically, their LaLiga stats are significantly worse than this time last year and all the while, Lewandowski is misfiring. The champions have scored fewer goals, conceded more and have fewer points than at this stage last season.
Lewandowski is symbolic of the decline. We are in December, with a stack of important Copa and Supercopa dates around the corner, and the Poland international has only scored twice since September in either LaLiga or Champions League. A year ago he’d already hit the net 13 times domestically and five times in Europe. This term, the numbers are seven and one.
But the problem that plagues Barcelona isn’t something that can be explained by simple statistics. If you were watching Lewandowski for the first time, then frankly you’d wonder how on earth someone so clumsy, slow and maladroit could play for Spain’s champions. If you were a scout at a Barcelona game fishing for talent, then you’d mark him as follows: “Lumbering, atrocious first touch, attitude-deficient, do not sign!”
The 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid on Sunday night emphasised most of these traits. Repeatedly set up with great scoring chances, he bungled every one of them. Worse, his unenthusiastic, flat and clumsy involvements often cost Barcelona the initiative, caught them offside or simply gifted away good possession because his touch was leaden, his pass was short or his anticipation was dull.
There’s not a hint of malice in my assessment. Lewandowski has been a modern phenomenon. Last season, his goal total, despite that he didn’t play well for most of the second half of it, was indisputably a central reason for Barcelona winning their first title in four years. But if one is employed in this role, then sometimes it becomes one’s unpleasant duty to cut through the fluff and to be unafraid of stating blunt facts. Far beyond his goal or assist total, Lewandowski is playing like a guy whose enthusiasm for where he is and why he came here has dwindled to the point that it’s obvious on the pitch.
