Poland boss Michal Probierz says the striker’s not happy
Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski is said to be “enormously frustrated” with his situation at the club after struggling to find his best form this season.
Lewandowski has scored eight times in 19 La Liga appearances - a far cry from last season when he ended the campaign as the top scorer in Spain’s top flight.
Poland boss Michal Probierz feels Lewandowski has been unfairly criticised, as the whole team has struggled this season, and admits the striker is having a tough time.
“I understand that one could complain if FC Barcelona played well and he played badly, but the entire Barça team is playing badly and Robert finds it very difficult to find a way to solve it,” he told Laczy Nas Pilka.
“You can tell he tries his best to do his best, but there aren’t many opportunities, and even if he figures something out himself, someone won’t take advantage of it. The club’s situation frustrates him enormously.
“I have the impression that the perception of Robert through the prism of Barcelona is too negative, it is going in the wrong direction. You can criticize, you can judge, but sometimes you also need to support someone.”
Lewandowski’s frustration has no doubt been compounded by the fact he’s been taken off early by Xavi in recent games against Betis, Athletic and Villarreal.
However, he does have four goals and an assist in his last seven games for Barca and will be hoping to add to his tally tonight against Osasuna.
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Xavi Hernández has called up 20 players for Wednesday’s clash
The next Barcelona match is upon us! The Blaugrana return to La Liga action with a home game against Osasuna at the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium, and Xavi Hernández has called up the following 20 players for Wednesday’s clash:
Goalkeepers: 13. Iñaki Peña, 26. Ander Astralaga, 31. Diego Kochen
Defenders: 2. João Cancelo, 4. Ronald Araujo, 15. Andreas Christensen, 23. Jules Kounde, 33. Pau Cubarsí, 39. Héctor Fort
The injuries simply won’t stop at Barça this season, and another name has been added to the list of absences as João Félix is expected to miss a number of weeks with an ankle injury. He joins Sergi Roberto (Achilles), Raphinha (hamstring), Marcos Alonso (back), Alejandro Balde (hamstring) and Gavi (knee) on the treatment table, while Marc-André ter Stegen (back) has returned to training but isn’t cleared just yet. There is some good news, however, as Iñigo Martínez is back in the squad after missing the last three weeks with a hamstring injury.
The match kicks off at 7pm CET/WAT (Barcelona & Nigeria), 6pm GMT (UK), 1pm ET, 10am PT (USA), 11.30pm IST (India), and you can join us to follow and comment all the action.
VISCA EL BARÇA!
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A round-up of the latest Barcelona news and rumors
Looking ahead to the Osasuna game - FC Barcelona
On Tuesday Xavi Hernández's squad completed their final training session before the visit of Osasuna on Wednesday in La Liga in a game at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys that kicks off at 7pm CET. Barça need all three points after last Saturday's defeat against Villarreal to maintain their push for the best possible finish in the league.
PREVIEW | FC Barcelona v Osasuna - FC Barcelona
It has been a turbulent few days at FC Barcelona, with a 5-3 defeat at home to Villarreal supposing a major setback in the league title challenge and then coach Xavi Hernandez announcing that he is going to be standing down from the position at the end of the season.
Xavi: 'It's a difficult moment but we need Barça to come together' - FC Barcelona
In his first press conference since his announcement that he would be leaving his post as Barça coach on 30 June, Xavi Hernández reflected on the last few days. "Unity is important. It is not an easy time but we Barça and the fans to be united. I would like to highlight the reaction of the fans and the dressing room following my announcement. The shows of affection I have received have been amazing," said the Barça coach ahead of Wednesday's meeting with Osasuna in La Liga.
Alejandro Balde undergoes successful surgery on the tendon in his right hamstring - FC Barcelona
The first team player Alejandro Balde has undergone a successful surgical procedure on the injury to the tendon in his right hamstring. The procedure was carried out by Dr.Lasse Lempainen, under the supervision of the Club's medical staff, in Turku, Finland. The player is unavailable for selection and his recovery will dictate his return.
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Following a devastating defeat at home to Villarreal to effectively end their hopes of back-to-back La Liga titles, Barcelona return to action for the ninth and final match of a crazy January schedule as the Blaugrana welcome Osasuna to the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Barça come into this one having seen their title chances come to an end in wild fashion, in a game that made no sense from the moment it began and had absolutely everything: good football, bad defending, even worse refereeing and a late collapse in front of the home crowd that left Barça without any points and with plenty of questions.
Xavi Hernández then avoided a new round of speculation about his future by announcing he will be stepping down at the end of the season. It was a smart move by a man who controlled the message and basically guaranteed himself a job until the summer by making himself the selfless legend who decided to do what was best for the club he loves.
Xavi’s announcement was perfectly timed and makes sure he can’t get sacked mid-season, and the vast majority of fans will be on his side no matter what happens because of his decision. Now the pressure is squarely on the shoulders of the players, and based on their public reaction and the reports written in the last few days they are very much going to play the rest of the season for their coach.
This is what’s missing in the criticism by those who wanted Xavi gone: he is beloved by the dressing room, and players have never given up on his message despite the bad moments. The way they’ve rescued late results time and time again over the last two years proves their loyalty to their boss, and all of them now feel they are in some ways responsible for Xavi’s departure.
Much like Luis Enrique inspired his team to a strong finish in the league after a tough start and a Copa del Rey title when he announced his own departure in late January of his final season, Xavi hopes that his decision to leave gives the players the extra bit of motivation needed to find a way to get the job done in La Liga and perhaps have a miracle run in the Champions League.
Winning a trophy in the next four months is not the most realistic option, but these players will undoubtedly give their all for Xavi. They will continue to fight through injuries and will play to win until the very end, and Xavi might feel liberated himself and just try things that he normally wouldn’t if he was coaching for his job.
The Catalans have a month and a half of winnable league games and will be slight favorites in their Champions League Round of 16 against Napoli, so this dark cloud might be replaced by optimism and a sense of relief in six weeks’ time if Xavi’s announcement has the desired effect.
The immediate future brings Osasuna, who will be a tough opponent that Barça saw three weeks ago in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final, a game the Catalans won comfortably despite not playing at their very best. Osasuna don’t really allow teams to play great football, but the Blaugrana have a very recent memory of how to beat the side from Pamplona if they control the ball and take their chances.
I am weirdly excited to watch the next few games after Xavi’s announcement, and something tells me we’ll see a Barça team more united and putting whatever frustrations they might have to the side to focus on a strong finish to the season for themselves and their coach.
Let’s dance.
POSSIBLE LINEUPS
Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Peña; Kounde, Araujo, Christensen, Cancelo; Pedri, De Jong; Yamal, Gündogan, Ferran; Lewandowski
Playing against Osasuna is always annoying, but I think Xavi’s announcement will unite the players and give at least an initial jolt of energy and commitment to win it for the boss: 2-0 to the good guys.
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The defender is now on the recovery trail
Barcelona have confirmed that left-back Alejandro Balde has undergone successful surgery on his hamstring injury.
Balde has flown out to Finland for the surgery after sustaining the injury in the Copa del Rey clash with Athletic Club.
Here’s the club’s offficial statement:
“The first team player Alejandro Balde has undergone a successful surgical procedure on the injury to the tendon in his right hamstring. The procedure was carried out by Dr.Lasse Lempainen, under the supervision of the Club’s medical staff, in Turku, Finland. The player is unavailable for selection and his recovery will dictate his return.”
Barcelona aren’t saying when Balde will return but it will be a surprise if he makes it back before the end of the current campaign.
Yet Spain boss Luis de la Fuente has seemed hopeful Balde could be available for the Euros which start in June in Germany.
“I spoke to him the other day. He is strong (mentally), which is very important, but of course, he will be out for several months… He will return before the Euros soon,” he told Radioestadio Noche.
Get well soon, Alejandro Balde!
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A round-up of the latest Barcelona news and rumors
Session to get ready for the visit of Osasuna - FC Barcelona
Xavi Hernández's squad trained at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper with all the available first team players. The news from the session was that Iñigo Martínez took part in some of the workout with his team mates.
When and where to watch FC Barcelona v Osasuna - FC Barcelona
Second time in four days for Barça fans to head to Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, as the blaugranes welcome Osasuna for the LaLiga matchday 20 fixture, which had been postponed due to the Spanish Super Cup commitments in Saudi Arabia.
Héctor Fort 'working to stay many years at FC Barcelona' - FC Barcelona
Héctor Fort is one of the big names at La Masia this last few weeks, in which he has been gaining first team experience. At the club since 2013 and officially an U19 player, he has demonstrated character far beyond that usually expected of someone of his age by filling in as both left and right back for the senior team. He now has four appearances under his belt, three of those from the start.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta puts out strong response to Barcelona rumours - Football España
Barca Atletic manager Rafael Marquez said he would be interested in the job, much to the frustration of the Barcelona hierarchy, but otherwise every other coach asked about it has dismissed the idea. Luis Enrique, Michel Sanchez and Thiago Motta have all said they are focusing on their current jobs or words to that effect, but Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was much stronger in his response.
Xavi Hernandez's €13m sacrifice for Barcelona despite departure - Football España
The Blaugrana have already started the hunt for their new boss, and one of the considerations for that search is no doubt cost. Once again this season they are tight up against their salary limit, and it looks unlikely to improve any time soon.
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The Catalans look to bounce back from a horrible defeat
The craziness of January in Spain finally comes to an end for Barcelona as the Blaugrana play their ninth and final match of this month as they welcome Osasuna to the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Barça effectively said goodbye to the La Liga title race with a wild defeat at home to Villarreal, and then Xavi Hernández dropped the bombshell news that he’s leaving the club at the end of the season. The Catalans now have four months to finish the season in the highest possible position in the league and try to make a deep run in the Champions League, all while looking for a new manager for next season and beyond.
The immediate future brings a tricky matchup against an Osasuna side that just lost to Barça in the Spanish Super Cup at the beginning of the month, but Barça are not in good form and Osasuna have always given the Catalans a tough time and will undoubtedly do so again.
Here’s how we think Xavi will line up his troops for Wednesday’s battle.
Defense
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The loss to Villarreal and the need to pick up as many points as possible in La Liga over the next month to ensure a strong Top 4 place before they start thinking about Europe again makes this a game simply have to win, and Xavi will not even consider rotating his squad.
There’s very little rotation possible at the back anyway due to injuries, so the four starters are pretty much set: João Cancelo was very critical of his own performance in his return to action from a knee injury but will have a chance to play 90 minutes and start to regain rhythm, and he’ll probably start at left-back for most of the games until the end of the campaign due to Alejandro Balde’s season-ending surgery.
That means Jules Kounde will have to play at right-back, a role he doesn’t like but seems to suit him and the team well, and the Frenchman has no choice but to be a full-back with all the absences around him. Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen will be the two center-backs, though Christensen is once again struggling with his Achilles and might be rested in this one. If that’s the case then young Pau Cubarsí will get the nod in the middle, and the 17-year-old has done plenty to prove he’s good enough to play at this level.
Midfield
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Barça played a brilliant game for the first 35 minutes of the second half after a disastrous beginning and just before a late collapse against Villarreal, and most of that came courtesy of the improved play of the midfield after the halftime substitution that brought Pedri into the mix.
The magician looks fully back to his best, and his health is the number one priority if Barça want to have a successful finish to the season. He played deeper against Villarreal in a double pivot alongside Frenkie de Jong, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Xavi use that formula again. That would theoretically push Ilkay Gündogan further forward to play as a number 10, but we won’t know Xavi’s choice for sure until the game starts.
Attack
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Barça’s attack was a disaster for 45 minutes, and then it came to life once Ferran Torres came off the bench. The Shark is in the form of his life and is crucial to the team right now, and he and Lamine Yamal provide the biggest hopes for creativity and scoring prowess in the front three.
That’s because Robert Lewandowski once again looks like a shell of himself, and the Pole might very well be following Xavi out the door in the summer if he doesn’t find a way to turn his fortunes around. But his coach still believes in him, and he’ll probably start this one again.
João Félix has done very little to deserve a spot anyway, and Vitor Roque has shown good signs in his first few appearances but is yet to get off the mark and still looks too raw to have any kind of immediate impact. Look out for Marc Guiu, however: Xavi is clearly a fan and has alternated between using the La Masia striker and Vitor Roque so it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if we see Guiu appear in this one, maybe even from the start if Xavi is feeling frisky and doesn’t really care that much anymore now that he’s leaving.
Possible XI: Peña; Kounde, Araujo, Christensen, Cancelo; Pedri, De Jong; Yamal, Gündogan, Ferran; Lewandowski (4-2-3-1)
How do you think Barcelona should line up against Osasuna? Let us know your thoughts, predictions and teams in the comments below!
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