The fairytale of Lewandowski’s arrival in Barcelona has perhaps turned slightly uglier than imagined in recent weeks. The Pole was received as a hero by Barcelona fans and is seen by many as the new figure of hope. But the world is cruel and football crueler still: the ‘virtual’ elimination from the Champions League and the defeat in the Clásico are two huge blows for a player who was supposed to have an immediate impact not only on an individual level but also in terms of the collective. The signing of Lewandowski, at 34 years old, was focused on a team that needs to win now; Barcelona cannot afford to be a building project, for that they could have chosen another type of striker.
As things stand, Lewandowski will no longer win the Champions League this season with Barça because the team is virtually out of contention to go through. The Pole also feels himself that he has failed. His double against Inter was not sufficient to turn around a game that, despite ending 3-3, felt like a defeat. In Munich, Milan and Madrid his goal tally was zero. At the Allianz he was overwhelmed by emotions and missed two chances a Lewandowski with less baggage might have put away (one shot with his right foot and the other a header that would be considered relatively straight forward); at the Giuseppe Meazza Inter’s defenders mopped up everything he had a bite at, especially Skriniar. In Madrid the striker made it three games in which he failed to appear, although he was involved in a moment in which he could won a penalty from a Carvajal challenge.
“Today it hurts, but that will make us work harder tomorrow,” the Pole posted on his Instagram account as he left the Bernabéu. Now that the Barcelona captains feel distance from the coach and the warmth of the people, Lewandowski is not only going to have to drag the team on the field, but also off it. Footballers like Busquets, Piqué or Alba do not seem at their best to shake up the dressing room and make the squad regain its self-esteem. At Barça it’s time for new leadership. Players like Araújo, Ter Stegen or Koundé are obliged to take control. But the most successful player of them all has been Lewandowski, who arrived as the figurehead of a phenomenal wave of euphoria. His arrival in Fort Lauderdale after leaving Bayern and an agreement was reached for his transfer, his presentation in Barcelona and his first hat-trick against Viktoria Plzen have all been diluted very quickly by mid-October, just two months after the season started. Overcoming the shock and turning the tables on a season that could go very wrong very quickly must be the goal of the Pole, who will see his performances and commitment to the club measured very soon, even before the World Cup.