IIf there is one change for Barcelona this season, it is that penalties are now shared between Rafinha and Lamine Yamal. However, Robert Lewandowski’s absence at a crucial moment of the match caught the attention of many fans.
However, contrary to what many expected, the striker himself broke his silence on the matter and clarified that he had nothing to do with the missed shot from the penalty spot.
Lewis reveals why he won’t penalize Barra
The 37-year-old Polish’s career and his impact on the world of football after more than 15 years on the field are indisputable. But he was also deadly from the penalty spot, converting 89 of his 101 attempts.
Despite this, Luiz has not been as involved in taking shots of late after his failures against Sevilla and Atltico Madrid, but he was adamant that this situation had nothing to do with his mistakes.
“When a player plays sometimes and sometimes he doesn’t, he lacks confidence in important moments because he doesn’t have a feel for the pitch, he has only just appeared, he hasn’t played in the last two or three games,” Lewandowski explained via Barça Blaugranes. “…I’m always ready, but sometimes my time on the pitch is short and I lack the feel and the rhythm,” he said.
Robert added: “In those moments it’s better to put the interests of the team first and whoever is more confident in the game takes the penalty. This is not because I missed the penalty, it’s because of my situation and the time I spent on the pitch.”
As a result, other players like Rafinha and Lamine Yamal took penalty kicks. They were also sidelined, but their playing time increased. The former Bayern Munich player has played 1,950 minutes since December and started five La Liga games.
Despite this, he has scored 16 goals and provided three assists in 37 games across all competitions this season, making it clear that the current state of the team is more important than any single mistake and that he remains a key player for Barra, even if his role evolves based on team needs and internal competition.
However, the player admitted that he had a hard time getting used to playing with a protective mask due to the fracture he suffered on the inside of his left eye socket against Villarreal on February 28, and revealed that he will have to play with a mask for “two more weeks”.
Meanwhile, the Polish player’s contract with the Catalan club expires on June 30th this summer, but it remains to be seen whether he will continue playing here.
“My future? Nothing has changed regarding my contract with Barcelona. I will have time to sit down and think about my future and my options,” he told reporters after arriving at the Polish national team’s training camp in preparation for the game against Albania.
This Thursday, both teams will meet in the World Cup playoff semi-finals, trying to earn a ticket to the world’s biggest soccer tournament.
