FC Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski claimed to be in better physical shape than 10 years ago and also shed light on his attempts to get outgoing head coach Xavi Hernandez to prolong his tenure in the hotseat during a talk with TV3.
Though roaring out of the traps when he initially joined the Catalans from Bayern Munich, Lewandowski has been criticized since returning from the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Many felt that Father Time had caught up with the 35-year-old, whose form slumped. In recent weeks, however, ‘Lewy’ has shown a vast improvement with a series of important strikes in La Liga and the Champions League.
At the weekend, he agreed post-match that he might have played his best match in a Barca shirt when scoring a goal and providing assist in a 3-0 win over Atletico Madrid. To TV3, the MVP of that game claimed to be feeling better than ever.
“I’m better physically than I was ten years ago. At 25 or 26 years old, I wasn’t at the level I was now, or two years ago. I train very well and I feel very good physically. If I feel good, everything is easier,” Lewandowski insisted.
Xavi Hernandez announced that he will step down on June 30 back in January, following a 5-3 loss to Villarreal at the Montjuic Stadium.
This decision hit players such as Gavi and Lewandowski hard, with the Pole admitting that he tried to convince his manager to stay on.
“We talked, but I saw that there was only one option and I don’t want to put any more pressure on him,” Lewandowski said.
Lewandowski stressed that it is “also the team’s responsibility” to deliver on the pitch, and revealed how a Barca outfit that seems to be on an upward trajectory at just the right time of the season is now more communicative which is paying dividends.
“Now we talk more about what we can do to improve and be more effective. We don’t think about whether Xavi will leave at the end of the season. But we play with Xavi and we want to win with him,” Lewandowski vowed.
The number 9 is often thought of as a captain without an armband and is regularly seen giving advice to the team’s youngsters during matches.
He claims he has a good relationship with budding prodigies such as Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi, and tries “to explain to them the things I see” either before training or on the pitch.
“They are very good and have a lot of quality, but it’s also important to balance young players and experience,” concluded the talisman.
