Lewandowski talks Xavi, La Liga title race, Champions League, recent form: “We are at a good point”

After a rather lacklustre start to the 2023/24 season, Robert Lewandowski has found his goalscoring boots for Barcelona in the second half of the campaign.

The veteran centre-forward has been in impressive form in recent weeks, scoring five goals in his last six appearances across all competitions.

Lewandowski now has 18 goals and six assists from 35 appearances for Barcelona and his finding form at this juncture could be crucial for the team as they compete to win La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.

The 35-year-old recently had a detailed interview with the club’s official media, discussing his and the team’s form as well as their chances to win a trophy this term.

Discussing his first 20 months at Barcelona, Lewandowski said: “I have been at Barça for a year and a half, and I feel good. I have won things and I have scored a lot of goals. Right now, me included, we have to score more goals and win more matches.

“We are at a point where we could not just win but also play better. Now we have important games coming up and let’s hope the wins keep coming.”

On his form and what lies ahead

On his improved form in recent games, the striker added: “I always want to play my best football. The other day I didn’t score against Getafe but I played really well but without scoring. For me, as a striker, it’s important to have performance with goals and a win.

“Even though in the end how we do is down to the team and if we win. The other day we took three points, and we played well. But as a striker I always want to score and help the team to win.”

Barcelona now have a series of important fixtures coming up starting with this weekend’s La Liga clash against Athletic Club. Looking forward to what lies ahead for the team, the striker said:

“There are important games coming up. First in Bilbao and then at home to Mallorca and later the Champions League. We are at a point where winning can be really important for us as a team to gain confidence and move forward.

“We are at a good point. We have the whole week to work in training and prepare for the upcoming games. I think some important players are going to come back from injury so we can have important, experienced players on the bench, not just youngsters.

 “It’s important for the team and I am sure that if we train well and we are going to play better than previously. For everyone, it is important to win by two, three or four goals like we did against Getafe.”

On Barça’s chances in La Liga and the Champions League

Barcelona let go of a great chance to beat Napoli in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie last week despite dominating the match.

Discussing the missed opportunity, Lewandowski said: “We played really well against Napoli. In the first 30 minutes we did really well. We needed that second goal but now we have the home leg.

“If we play from the start like we did in Naples, then I think we can win and score more goals. What we want is to be in the next round. Napoli are a dangerous team with good players, but we want to win this game and even though there is still time before the match, we want to win the ones up until then also.” 

On their chances to win La Liga, he said: “It depends on who we are playing against, no, no, against who. If not, how we play. We have a lot of players with great potential and a lot of quality. We have to know how we can play, not only to win but also to have chances.

“Against Getafe, for example, after 5 or 7 minutes we saw that if we took a step forward, we would have more chances. We have to know how to adapt during the game to make it easier to create chances. We need to find solutions against our opponents. Against Getafe we played in a simpler way but we were more effective.” 

On Xavi

Lewandowski also touched upon Xavi’s decision to leave the club at the end of the season, admitting that he respected the manager’s decision.

“Xavi will be our coach until the end of the season and for us that is very important to be focussed to do our job. I understand that for Xavi it has been a difficult time, and it has been an emotional one,” Lewandowski stated.

“He is a former Barcelona player and being the Barça coach is very tough for Xavi because he is an emotional guy too. For him, Barcelona is more than a Club. I understand that for his family it can’t be easy too. We have to play together, move in the same direction and win matches.”