Barcelona forward slowly becoming the architect of his own decline | OneFootball

Robert Lewandowski’s position as Barcelona’s unquestioned attacking reference point is beginning to show signs of erosion this season. 

Not because the Polish striker has suddenly declined beyond usefulness, but because Ferran Torres has emerged with a level of sharpness and energy that Hansi Flick increasingly finds difficult to overlook. 

At 18 months into his Barça project, Flick has made it clear that intensity and mobility are essential in his front line and given Lewandowski’s age, the contrast with Ferran’s dynamism becomes more apparent by the week.

Barcelona’s 5–3 demolition of Real Betis last weekend illustrated this shift perfectly. Ferran scored a superb hat-trick and looked every bit the forward around whom Flick could build his attack. 

Yet even after such a display, the manager handed Lewandowski the starting role against Eintracht Frankfurt, perhaps hoping that experience and opportunity would help the veteran regain momentum.

Failing to grab the opportunity

Unfortunately, the opposite unfolded. Lewandowski endured another frustrating evening, finishing the match without a goal for the fourth consecutive game. 

It was, on paper, the ideal setting for him to regain confidence, as he was facing a Frankfurt back line that has conceded more than any other in the Bundesliga and ranks among the Champions League’s weakest defensive units. 

But the expected breakthrough never arrived.

Robert Lewandowski has not scored in four matches. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Throughout the match, Lewandowski looked isolated and disconnected from the team’s attacking mechanisms. 

He struggled to press with the intensity Flick demands and found little space to attack behind the defence. 

His one moment of instinct came when he finished a cross from Raphinha, only for the goal to be correctly ruled out for offside. 

Many expected Flick to remove him at halftime, but the manager allowed him a brief window in the second half before taking decisive action. 

Ten minutes after the restart, Lewandowski was replaced by Ferran Torres and the difference was immediate.

As such, Lewandowski certainly remains an elite footballer, but the reality is that Ferran is setting the pace. 

Unless the Pole rediscovers his scoring rhythm soon, his once unquestionable status may continue to slip, just like his future at Barcelona.