Barcelona forward says he will prioritise big matches over consistent minutes this season | OneFootball

The veteran striker Robert Lewandowski was one of the most important protagonists for FC Barcelona as they won all the big domestic titles last season. However, this season overlaps with the last year of his contract, and having aged another year, things are set to be different for him.

The change has already been visible at the start of the season. Lewandowski has yet to start in La Liga, missing one match due to injury and coming off the bench in the other two as he recovered fitness.

However, as SPORT has reported, the Pole was not too worried about his situation as he addressed this subject while facing the journalists in a press conference.

The experienced forward made it clear that he sees things from a different perspective at this stage of his career:

“This year, personally, I approach my situation in a different way: I’m not so focused on the number of minutes I get, and I will be having conversations throughout the season.”

Lewandowski also indicated that he is more focused on the quality of the minutes that he gets than on their quantity:

“I also don’t think I have to play by default: we have a squad that allows for rotations, and that’s important. Sometimes it’s more important to focus on the quality of minutes than the quantity.”

The Polish striker went on to highlight how he felt fatigued at times during the last season:

“This season, we will be constantly analyzing how I feel. Last season I played many games at a very high intensity. There were times when I felt very tired, and on top of that, I was injured during the final stretch of the season.”

The 37-year-old Barcelona striker underlined the importance of proper rest and rotation to ensure he is ready when the stakes are highest:

“I am aware that the intensity is very high, also because of our playing style, so everyone will need to rest at some point. I prepared very well this summer. I had a long vacation, I got myself in shape, and I think that will help me throughout the season.”

He also addressed his slow start this term, pointing out that physical issues played a role:

“Let’s not fool ourselves, I was injured for two weeks. But the season has just begun; it’s very long. I didn’t feel pressure to play the maximum number of minutes right away. I know that August is the month to find rhythm, but everything really starts in September, so I knew I had to take it easy.”

Although there are no doubts about his quality, Hansi Flick will still have to carefully manage Robert Lewandowski this season, as he is already 37 years of age.

Still, he can contribute to the team in the biggest of games, especially with his experience, and one of the tasks of the Barcelona coach will be to keep him fresh and ready for these games.