Due to the sacking of Xavi Hernandez, and the imminent arrival of Hansi Flick as coach, it is expected that a number of situations regarding Barcelona's players are about to change. One of these is Robert Lewandowski, who was not wanted by Xavi at the end of his two-and-a-half-year tenure.
🚨 Before the Rayo Vallecano match, Xavi noticed that his players were cold towards him. When he asked them about this, they said they were upset that they were on the sale list he presented to the board, which had been leaked to them. Sources close to Xavi claimed that Alejandro Echevarria…
— Barca Center (@BarcaCenter) May 28, 2024
Xavi wanted to sell Lewandowski this summer for multiple reasons, according to Sport. Two of them were tactical, as the Polish striker did not lack enough energy or strength to command the first line of the press. Xavi believes Lewandowski's off-the-ball efforts were below par. Secondly, Xavi wanted a striker who could link up the play better, which Lewandowski considered bad.
Interestingly, the report cites information from journalist Ricard Torquemada, who told Catalunya radio DTT that another reason why Xavi wants Lewandowski to leave is his lack of sympathy with the younger members of the first team. In Xavi's eyes, the 35-year-old was overly demanding towards players who still had “very football intelligence” – a trait he did not want in a dressing room leader.
With Flick's arrival, Lewandowski is likely to stay for at least another season, given the duo worked so successfully at Bayern Munich. It remains to be seen whether a similar pattern of performance can be followed at Barcelona.
