FC Barcelona continued their merry ways under Hansi Flick with an impressive 5-1 win away at Villarreal with Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha grabbing braces and youngster Pablo Torre also scoring a goal. It was a clinical rout marred by the loss of Marc-Andre Ter Stegen to injury.
The club captain had to be stretchered off the pitch minutes before half-time with an issue that seemed innocuous at the beginning. The moment he hit the ground though, it became evident that the German shot-stopper will not be able to continue.
Thankfully for Barcelona, they had already scored two goals in the game before his injury with Robert Lewandowski showing his poacher instincts in front of goal. This gave them the luxury of going into the break with a 2-1 lead in the bag.
Lewandowski has had an impressive start to La Liga this season and is currently the top scorer with six goals. He had the chance to make it seven yesterday but missed his penalty. For a player who used to be very clinical from the spot for Bayern, his new run-up is not serving him well.
However, the Polish veteran has looked razor sharp and much involved in Hansi Flick’s team and it helps that the entire set of players are creating more chances per game as a whole. Speaking after the game as quoted by SPORT, here is what Lewandowski had to say about the win over Villarreal:
“It’s very important to score five goals away from home. We play every three days and it’s important to keep getting wins”
The 36-year-old marksman went on to admit that the team could play better. He continued: “We all know how and where we want to play. We always have in mind that we can play better. The important thing is to score more goals than the opponent.”
Lewandowski then outlined one key aspect that he thinks the team does more this season under Hansi Flick. He said: “We are happy. This season we have been looking for crosses into the box more. As a number 9 I look for the area, I look for space. We play for the team”
Lewandowski walked away with the Man of the Match award after last night’s game. It was a disappointment that he did not walk away with the match ball but going by the way he has been playing this season, it won’t be long before that comes too.
Barcelona would be glad that they are getting Lewandowski to return to somewhere close to his best version. He will be hoping to continue scoring at a similar rate and let’s wait and see how his season pans out from here on.