The Pole, who will not be in the derby due to suspension, has participated in more than half of Barça’s goals in the competition
Xavi Hernández has a real headache ahead of his team’s game this weekend against Espanyol at Camp Nou. The Tarrasa coach faces the first of three league games he will have to play without Robert Lewandowski, a key player in the culé squad and who has participated in more than half of Barça’s goals in the championship. Replacing the Polish striker is the first major challenge for the Catalans after the return from the World Cup.
Find a formula to not miss a goal at the beginning of the year. That is the task that currently concerns Xavi the most. The Barça coach has determined that the Administrative Sports Court (TAD) has rejected the order given to the Pole following the exclusion he suffered against Osasuna, requiring him to improvise a 9 of guarantees for the derby. It won’t be an easy mission. Lewandowski’s numbers are astonishing. He has scored 13 goals and provided four assists in just a fortnight, or whichever is the same, he has participated in 17 of the 33 goals scored by his team, 51.5%. These figures have enabled him to become the axis on which the entire attack front of the new culé project revolves. He is the target and when he is on the field the alternatives multiply.
For this reason, Xavi will have to rebuild the attack front in order not to lose a bite in the next three games. Lewandowski will not be against Espanyol, Atlético de Madrid and Betis and the alternatives Barça manages include converting a winger or relying on strikers which have not been common so far. The most viable option according to what this course has seen is to move Ferran Torres or Ansu Fati. The former City player has already played this role as a false nine this season and it is an option that allows a player with a lot of mobility to create space. The other option would be to keep the style unchanged, keep another attacker and bring in Memphis Depay, already fully recovered from the physical problems he had before the World Cup, or even opt for an assistant player like Víctor Barberá.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
