Veteran still offers experience and moments of quality, but Torres’ tempo and work-rate are currently much preferred
Robert Lewandowski has had an excellent four years at Barcelona, but his time at the club could be coming to an end as Ferran Torres continues to deliver the kind of performances Hansi Flick wants in the front of his attack.
Since taking charge, Flick has made it clear he wants mobility, pressing and constant movement from his forwards. At 37, Lewandowski still offers experience and moments of quality, but Torres’ tempo and work rate are currently much preferred because of how much they help the team’s attacking rhythm.
Torres has regularly started ahead of the Polish veteran this season, playing with a level of confidence and urgency that the manager loves. The 5-3 win over Real Betis last weekend was one of his best performances yet in a Barcelona shirt, and he finished the game with a hat-trick.
Flick then restored Lewandowski to the starting lineup for the Champions League game with Eintracht Frankfurt, giving the veteran a chance to respond. He was unable to.
Lewandowski went a fourth straight game without scoring and struggled to connect with the play around him. Frankfurt, with one of the weakest defensive records among this season’s Champions League sides, offered the kind of opposition he was expected to punish but he rarely troubled them.
The Polish striker found it difficult to press from the front with the intensity Flick demands and was often left isolated. When replaced by Torres, Barcelona immediately looked sharper in transition and more fluid in the final third.
Lewandowski’s contract runs out in 2026 and there are no indications that talks have started over a renewal. He remains an elite forward, but if he continues to struggle to deliver the kind of performances Flick wants, it would be difficult for Barcelona to extend his contract.
