In a big blow for FC Barcelona and Xavi, Robert Lewandowski had to leave the pitch only after half an hour as FC Barcelona faced Porto in their Champions League tie last Wednesday. The Pole is one of the main pillars of the team, and his absence will significantly impact how Xavi plays his team in the upcoming matches.
Thus, Lewandowski will be sorely missed by the club as he recovers from his injury. However, the upcoming games have still to be won by Barcelona, and Xavi is looking for possible alternatives to ensure that the team does not lose too much quality up top with Lewandowski sidelined. The matter is further worsened with the absences of Raphinha, De Jong, and Pedri.
Options to replace Lewandowski
Ferran Torres is the main candidate to replace the Pole at the striker position, as he did in the match against Porto when he was subbed in for Lewandowski. Torres operates well in this position and also deserves a few starts with the performances he has been giving since the start of the season.
However, Torres is not the only solution at Xavi’s disposal, and according to SPORT, Xavi is also contemplating playing Joao Felix in Lewandowski’s stead as a ‘false 9’. The likelihood of such a setup will be even higher when Raphinha returns from injury or when Xavi goes out with four midfielders.
Felix offering different attributes
Felix, Ferran, and Lewandowski have very different playing profiles, and while Felix will not offer everything that Lewandowski offers at the striker position, Felix has the ability to put the ball in the net, and has other abilities to thrive in this position.
Xavi has already commented on the possibility of such a setup in one of his recent press conferences and is also contemplating Lewandowski’s replacement away from the public eye. Lewandowski will be missing against Athletic Bilbao, Shakhtar Donetsk, and probably against Real Madrid, so Barcelona will have to come up with a good solution as soon as possible.
