2 weeks Ago By Toni Padilla
Robert Lewandowski's 100th goal for Barça is a long time coming. The Polish striker , a match in which he raised alarm bells after requesting a substitution with the game tied at 3-3. The former Bayern and Borussia Dortmund player noticed a twitch in his hamstring and requested a substitution.
He didn't want to play with fire, aware of the fact that in a week they have to play the Cup final against Real Madrid. And then, it's time for the Champions League. This morning he underwent medical tests at the Sports City and the club announced that the player has an injury to the semitendinosus muscle in his left thigh.
"His return to playing with the team will be decided based on his progress," reads the statement, referring to an injury that could keep him off the pitch for two to three weeks. He will not be able to play in next Saturday's Cup final. The experienced 36-year-old forward had barely missed a game this season.
The club says he's taking care of every detail of his nutrition and training to stay strong, but ultimately his match load has meant that, for the time being, he's definitely out for Mallorca's visit to Montjuïc this Tuesday. "We've played a lot of games, we have a lot of games, and people might be a little tired," says his teammate Ferran Torres, referring to the team's run of matches that have led to some injuries. In fact, before hosting Celta Vigo, Barça issued a statement complaining about the schedule, as Hansi Flick had previously done publicly.
The German coach understands that in other countries, league schedules are modified to give rest to teams still in international competition, which doesn't usually happen in Spain. Five goals per game without the Pole For this reason, the German coach has been resting players like Pedri, a substitute in Dortmund, and Lamine, who didn't start against Celta Vigo. Lewandowski did play in those matches, suffering an injury.
A significant absence, although the statistics show that this Barça team can score goals and win even without its top scorer. In the games this season in which Flick decided to rest him, his teammates finished their work. Curiously, in the league, he had only been rested against Mallorca, in a 5-1 defeat.
That means he will have lost both matches against Jagoba Arrasate's men. Flick also wanted to rest him for the Copa del Rey wins against Betis (5-1) and Valencia (0-5). That is, in the three matches without him, five goals have been scored.
Lewandowski was also a substitute in the 7-1 defeat against Valencia, coming on at 5-0. Again, five goals without him. Although Lewandowski is the main offensive reference with 41 goals (25 in the league, 12 in the Champions League, 3 in the cup and 1 in the Super Cup), he is surrounded by players who allow Flick's Barça to be a goal-scoring machine.
The team's scoring average is, in fact, almost 3 goals per game, the highest in the history of a debuting coach at the Blaugrana club. Raphinha, who scored two against Celta, has 28 (13 in the league, 12 in Europe, 1 in the Cup and 2 in the Super Cup), Lamine Yamal 14 (6 in the league, 4 in Europe, 2 in the Cup and 2 in the Super Cup) and Ferran Torres has 16 in 9 (9 in the Cup). The Valencian should, in fact, be the biggest beneficiary of the Pole's possible absence and right now seems one step away from starting next Saturday in the final at La Cartuja.
"I'm always prepared to make the most of my minutes," said the player from Foios, although he admitted that he hopes "that Robert's problems aren't serious and he's available as soon as possible." After the match against Mallorca, the schedule expands: on Saturday the cup final and on the 30th, the first Champions League semi-final match against Inter. A match in which it remains to be seen who starts up front.
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