Robert Lewandowski has been one of the most deadly and complete forwards in the past decade.
He has proven himself in the Bundesliga with both Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, netting 312 goals and 75 assists in 384 games, as well as 86 goals and 25 assists in 106 Champions League matches.
Even while playing for a slightly weaker side, the Polish national team, he has scored 76 goals in 132 games.
After eight seasons at Bayern, Lewandowski felt it was time for a new change of scenery in his personal life and professional career.
One filled with winning trophies and breaking goal-scoring records, which he hopes to carry on in his spell at Barcelona.
Barcelona has just signed Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessié, and Raphinha, and is eyeing further defensive signings.
However, it appears we are set to miss out on Jules Kounde, who is reportedly set to move to Chelsea.
These transfers are a statement of intent that Barcelona is not here to mess about.
They will definitely challenge for the La Liga trophy and, if defensive reinforcements arrive, will likely be eyeing the Champions League.
This scout report will provide a tactical analysis of Robert Lewandowski’s style of play, his role at Barcelona, and whether the £50 million transfer fee was a worthwhile investment.
Furthermore, Barcelona tactics will be reviewed, with an analysis detailing how Xavi will set up his team.
How does Barcelona play?
FC Barcelona Structure
In November 2021, Xavi joined an underachieving Barcelona side that had lost its identity following Lionel Messi’s departure, and significant changes were needed.
Since then, Xavi has gotten his team to play like the Barcelona sides he used to play in, controlling the ball and creating chance after chance.
Barcelona have averaged 63% possession and 13 shots per game, although only 36% of those have been on target.
Since Xavi’s appointment, Barcelona has collected three points fewer than Real Madrid, the La Liga and Champions League winners.
This can be seen as a success, given the failures of previous seasons and the emergence of young players getting regular game time for the first time this season.
One significant factor in the improved performance is the quality structure Xavi has instilled into his side.
The picture below shows Barcelona setting up in a 2-3-5 formation, which allows the deep player to be close to the ball for ball retention.
The front five occupy the vertical five lanes of the pitch, from which they can attack the opposition’s back line or combine with each other.
This helps Barcelona sustain pressure on the opposition, enabling them to create chances frequently.
Barcelona Creativity
Barcelona created deadly chances from all over the pitch due to their ability to control all zones of the attacking third.
One area where they are particularly effective is in wide areas, where wingers are left 1v1 and they can run at their defender.
Thanks to Barcelona’s width in positioning and frequent switches of play, Barcelona’s wingers are often left in isolated scenarios from which they can cause chaos and put in dangerous deliveries.
The image below shows Ousmane Dembele spending lots of time on the ball in the opposition box.
From there, he puts a dangerous ball across the goal, which should’ve been converted into a goal.
Barcelona also sometimes played crosses from deeper areas, putting the ball into the space between the opposition’s back line and goalkeeper, allowing Barca players to attack the space in the box.
In the Sevilla game, below 89% of the attacks came from the flanks in the first half, highlighting Barca’s preference to isolate wide players and deliver balls into the box for the oncoming runners.
Keeping the ball in wide areas also allows Barcelona to stretch the opposition’s backline, leaving large gaps between the defenders.
The image below shows Barcelona attempting to exploit those gaps through incisive passing from wide to central areas.
In this example, Pedri plays the ball to Aubameyang, who draws a defender, allowing Pedri to exploit the space created.
However, Aubameyang can’t return the pass and plays it to a winger in a less dangerous position.
This example highlights just how critical it is for the centre forward to be comfortable linking play and clinical in front of the goal.
Barcelona’s creativity knows no bounds.
They can consistently create chances, mainly thanks to the passing abilities of Pedri and Dembele.
As shown below, Pedri has the ability and passing range to lift the ball over the defence perfectly into the path of Dembele, who plays the ball across the face of the goal, but no one is able to get onto the end of the pass.
These chances consistently arrive in Barcelona’s opponents’ boxes, and Lewandowski‘s arrival should see more of them converted.
What does Lewandowski bring To Barcelona?
Robert Lewandowski is one of, if not the best, player in the world right now.
His brilliant technical ability, coupled with his physical and mental skills, means his style of play has virtually no weaknesses.
His best skill is his ability to time his runs in the box and position himself in the right areas to receive the ball and tap it in easily.
His movement in the box allows him to regularly be in the right place at the right time to score unmarked goals from close range, although multiple defenders surround him.
The image below shows him attacking the box and positioning himself in front of the defender to create an easy shooting opportunity.
Another reason why Lewandowski has been so successful is his composure in front of goal.
Lewandowski isn’t a confidence player in the sense that when one goal goes in, more follow.
Lewandowski is always confident and will attempt the most daring pass or shot, even if it is not the easiest option.
The image below displays this quality that he possesses.
Two defenders are hunting Lewandowski, but he is unfazed and slows down his strides. He pretends to shoot to force the goalkeeper to commit and dinks the ball over the goalkeeper.
Although people are chasing him, he doesn’t get rushed and makes life easier for himself by sitting the goalkeeper down so that he is more likely to score.
Lewandowski always scores easy goals, but this is not by luck; he is smart enough to engineer chances for himself from which he can’t miss, even when they seem difficult in the first place.
Another important part of being a complete striker is the ability to strike through the ball effectively on both feet.
Being one-footed makes you predictable and easier to defend against, whereas being two-footed keeps the defenders guessing if they know you can switch the ball on to either foot.
As shown below, even when the pass is played a bit wide and at an angle, Lewandowski is able to clinically slot the ball into the bottom corner with his weaker foot.
One common theme in Barcelona’s style of play was the frequency with which crosses came in, and the Barca players wasted headers.
Lewandowski is as good with his feet as he is with his head, so you can expect him to be scoring head chances every couple of weeks, at least.
Lewandowski can head the ball with both power and precision, as shown in the image below.
Another thing that makes Lewandowski so complete is his ability to set up teammates.
As seen earlier in the article, Barcelona sometimes passes the ball to the striker so that he can combine with the players around him.
Lewandowski has displayed his excellent on-ball abilities at both club and international level.
For his country, he sometimes has to act as the playmaker due to the lower level of his teammates, and he regularly shows his excellent decision-making and link-up abilities.
The image below shows him playing a perfect cross to the back post with his weaker foot.
While his goal record may be brilliant, Lewandowski will play the ball to a teammate in a better position if it’s what’s best for the team.
Conclusion
This article has displayed both how Barcelona will attack opposition teams and what Lewandowski brings to the club.
Lewandowski’s efficiency in front of goal, paired with Barcelona’s constant chances, is a mouth-watering prospect.
Barca will finally have a reliable player to take advantage of chances, something that they haven’t had since Luis Suarez all those years ago.
Memphis Depay was their top scorer in the league last season with 12 goals, whilst the previous time Lewandowski scored fewer goals than this figure in a season was in 2010-11, his first campaign outside Poland.
His technical quality will also help ensure that Barcelona can combine play through him in tight spaces and allow the likes of Ansu Fati or Ferran Torres to attack the space created behind.
A team with a perfect blend of youth and experience will definitely be in the race for the league title, and it will be up to Xavi to prove whether he can set his team up well enough to progress in the Champions League knockout stages.
Lewandowski has come for trophies, and Barca fans can expect trophies based on the quality of their team.
