FC Barcelona manage to get a key victory before the international break kicks off. With their latest 3-0 win over Deportivo Alaves away from home, La Blaugrana have picked up another crucial three points in La Liga. Now, Barcelona can be satisfied with the way that they are now settled with a three-point lead at the top of the Spanish league table.
However, perhaps this victory would not have been possible without the efforts of Robert Lewandowski in particular. Despite the hardships of last season and the criticism that came his way, he has completely turned his fortune around this season with yet another spectacular performance.
A hattrick in his latest display sees the Polish ace score all three goals that Barcelona have put past Alaves at their home stadium. That now makes it 10 goals in 9 games for the former Bayern Munich star, and these numbers go on to prove that the player is still able to perform at the highest level.
However, perhaps no opinion is more reliable regarding Lewandowski than that of Hansi Flick, the current head coach of Barcelona and former mentor of Lewandowski at Bayern Munich as well in a record-breaking tenure. As highlighted by Mundo Deportivo, at least for Flick, Lewandowski is still the same player he was back in Germany following his recent display against Alaves:
“Everyone supported him and looked for his passes. He’s the same player I knew in Munich, the only one I know, and in the box, he’s the best. He’s always ready to score.”
For Lewandowski, this will be a huge confidence booster at a personal level as well. With many people voicing their opinions saying that the player no longer has what it takes to perform at the highest level, it must be a great feeling for the Barcelona ace to continue proving them wrong.
Moreover, for context, Lewandowski’s version at Bayern Munich that was coached by Hansi Flick is undoubtedly one of the most lethal versions of any striker in football history.
A record-breaking season in Germany and a sextuple with Bayern are just the tips of the iceberg when it comes to defining why that version of the Polish ace was so lethal, alongside the fact that the version of him in question is also almost universally considered to have been the favorite for the ultimately canceled 2020 Ballon d’Or.