Barcelona veteran forward determined to lead team’s reaction after loss against Shakhtar Donetsk

Barcelona are going through arguably their toughest spell under Xavi so far in his two-plus year tenure. After hitting five each against Real Betis and Royal Antwerp, the Catalans have only put in disappointing performances and barely scraped results.

They lost their first game of the season against Real Madrid a fortnight ago despite being the superior team for nearly 70 minutes of the game.

This was followed by a horrible performance against Real Sociedad, where they managed to get all three points courtesy of a Ronald Araujo winner in injury time.

That could not be replicated against Shakhtar Donetsk in the UCL, though, as a first-half goal saw the Ukrainians through.

While Xavi’s job is not on the line, they need to bounce back harder than ever before to stabilise the team and gain the tiniest sense of security.

Reports earlier this week claimed that the coaches held an intense 45 feedback minute session with the team where several veterans of the team spoke up, including Robert Lewandowski.

The Pole is determined to lead the bounce back for this team, as per a report from Catalunya Radio. He understands that he was brought in to lead the team, and this is his time to act like one and help the team react strongly.

Only recently coming back from injury, Lewandowski is not fully fit, healthy, but lacks match sharpness. That was evident against Madrid, Sociedad, and Shakhtar, but his game rhythm is slowly improving.

Lewa believes that Barcelona’s match this Sunday, against Deportivo Alaves, will be crucial in proving that he is, in fact, one of the leaders of this team.

Lewa’s numbers so far

Before picking up an injury early in October, Lewandowski had five goals and three assists in eight games this season. He also has a goal and an assist to his name in the Champions League in three games.

However, since his return, the 35-year-old has failed to make any sort of impact. He took one shot across 90 minutes against Real Sociedad and Real Madrid combined, and could only muster up two shots against Shakhtar – both of which were off target.

With a crucial part of the season coming up, and several trophies on the line, it is imperative that Lewandowski picks up the pace and puts on his scoring boots, especially since Vitor Roque’s arrival in January is getting complicated.