Robert Lewandowski has enjoyed an outstanding career in the Bundesliga at both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. In his ten years in the league, Lewandowski has scored 232 goals, winning the Bundesliga twice with Dortmund and five (likely soon to be six) times with Bayern.
Despite being 31-years-old, Lewandowski has continued to score, seemingly at will, for Bayern Munich. This tactical analysis will examine how Lewandowski continues to be so potent for the Bavarian club. In this scout report, the analysis will look at how he fits into Hansi Flick’s tactics, as well as his movement and patience in the penalty area.
Player overview
While Lewandowski’s position is listed as a centre-forward, he is certainly not bound by the traditional expectations of that role.
As is evident in his heat map, Lewandowski is allowed to roam and drift around the attacking half. What’s important to understand is that Lewandowski’s role within Bayern’s system is fluid because of so many of the positional play principles that have been implemented in the squad. The positional rotations Bayern utilise allow for maximum flexibility within the squad, and Lewandowski’s flexibility will be highlighted shortly.
This season, Lewandowski is averaging an astounding 0.9 goals per 90 minutes played with an equally astounding 0.75 xG per 90. Considering he is averaging only 3.83 shots per 90 minutes played, he is seemingly able to get into scoring areas that have a higher success rate. Unsurprisingly, at the time of writing, 29 of his 30 goals have come from inside the penalty area (almost always from a central area), with the exception being a free kick against Schalke back in August. While his goals come from a consistent area, the way in which he arrives in the space varies, and that’s due to Lewandowski’s positional flexibility.
