Wishlist Robert Lewandowski

[nyikolajevics 2,436]

45 minutes ago, the wes said:

The Blues have made contact with the representatives of Bayern Munich and Poland striker Robert Lewandowski, 30. Chelsea are also interested in Borussia Dortmund and Sweden forward Alexander Isak, 19. (Mirror)

 

That Isak kid has been on fire since he joined Willem II. 11 goals in 11 matches (and also 3 assists) for the Dutch side, many of them were amazing, his movement is so elegant. Can't see Dortmund letting him go this summer. They don't want to be like City with Sancho.

[Vesper 27,378]

11 minutes ago, nyikolajevics said:

 

That Isak kid has been on fire since he joined Willem II. 11 goals in 11 matches (and also 3 assists) for the Dutch side, many of them were amazing, his movement is so elegant. Can't see Dortmund letting him go this summer. They don't want to be like City with Sancho.

https://www.expressen.se/sport/fotboll/domen-isak-kommer-att-avgora-hela-ligan/

[nyikolajevics 2,436]

7 minutes ago, Vesper said:

https://www.expressen.se/sport/fotboll/domen-isak-kommer-att-avgora-hela-ligan/

What's this about?

[Vesper 27,378]

4 minutes ago, nyikolajevics said:

What's this about?

Alexander Isak, he is Swedish, we know him from his time at our club we support here, AIK

[Vesper 27,378]

Physically perfect, goal-obsessed Lewandowski is Bundesliga Player of the Year

https://theathletic.com/1775688/2020/04/28/bundesliga-player-of-the-year-robert-lewandowski/

Writing about Robert Lewandowski, the most consistent centre-forward of his generation, poses a similar dilemma to the one routinely encountered by chroniclers of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo: what is left to say that hasn’t already been said?

A goalscoring machine. A near-indestructible body. A one-track mind bordering on the obsessive. The words have been the same for a few good years now, even as the numbers keep getting bigger. And 2020-21 is shaping up to be his best season ever. Twenty-five goals in 23 Bundesliga games, 39 in 33 in all competitions; he has a realistic shot at breaking Gerd Muller’s 40 goals record from 1971-72, long considered untouchable.

Maybe Lewandowski can even fulfil a lifelong ambition to win the European Cup this year. “I still believe that one day, we will play in the Champions League final and we will win it,” the 31-year-old told The Guardian before Bayern’s last-16 outing at Chelsea in February. Plenty of neutrals would have come around to that view, too, after his two assists for Serge Gnabry and an easy tap-in meant Bayern went home from Stamford Bridge with a 3-0 win.

Lewandowski injured his knee during that game and was out of action for four weeks, the longest he has ever been injured during his 10 years in the Bundesliga. (Due to the effects of Covid-19, he only missed two league games and should be fully restored by the time the league is scheduled to kick off again in May).

His durability is not a coincidence but just reward for a life in asceticism, entirely devoted to physical perfection. His late father Krzysztof was a football coach and judoka, while his mother Iwona was a volleyball player. Lewandowski Snr had the boy practising judo and sent him on long hiking runs but “Bobek” only wanted to play football. A photo in his biography, written by Wojciech Zawiola, shows the eight-year-old at a carnival, wearing a Danish national team kit as a disguise. Iwona recalls Robert teaching their boxer dog Kokusia to play as a goalkeeper (without biting the ball) for penalty practice and outrunning the exhausted dog in races through the woods.

From a young age, he was determined to dedicate himself to his craft, eschewing the usual trappings of teenage life, the odd joy-ride without a driver’s licence excepted. Nutritional advice courtesy of his karate-champion wife Anna has been another piece of the puzzle. Lewandowski believes he can play on for another five or six years at this level. “He is one of the most professional footballers I have ever worked with,” Pep Guardiola said. “He eats, sleeps and trains for his job. He’s never injured because he focuses so much on the right diet and proper preparation.”

The Catalan was initially not convinced he needed a centre-forward in Munich but soon understood the value of an out-and-out No 9 who can also play a bit, courtesy of Lewandowski’s spell in attacking midfield under Jurgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund. Lewandowski admits he possesses the same selfish streak that all natural goalscorers seem to be born with. Team-mates at Bayern used to joke that his egotism even dwarfed that of Dutch winger Arjen Robben but he’s not one to stay in the box or on the last shoulder of the defender, waiting for things to happen. He wants to come deep, link up play, make space for others.

Without his record-breaking streak of 16 goals in 11 consecutive games at the start of the season, a dysfunctional Bayern would have been a million miles away from defending their title. After Hansi Flick restored positional order and a cohesive passing game, Lewandowski became the main beneficiary of more regular supply routes. On top of that, dressing-room sources have noticed a change in attitude.

Having more or less openly pushed for a move to Real Madrid in the past, Lewandowski is said to have become much more of team player off the pitch, helping young strikers hone their finishing their skills. “You can always improve” is his core mantra, if not perhaps quite as much to reach Messi or Cristiano levels. “When I look at those two, I see the mistakes that were made during my youth development,” he told Zawiola with a typical mix of honesty and confidence.

A few years ago, he taught himself to take free kicks to increase his chances of finding the net. He cites shots from distance as one of his few remaining weakness but the flip-side to that limitation is his focus on the most promising of finishes, centrally in the box. His underlying numbers are, as expected, elite in that respect. StatsBomb data shows he produces 4.67 shots at goal per game. Just under half of those are on target, and every other shot on target is a goal. “He shoots, he scores” is true for one in five shots he takes.

“In terms of efficiency, he’s second among the best-ever strikers of Bayern’s history after Gerd Muller,” his team-mate Thomas Muller told Sport-Bild recently. Gerd Muller scored 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga games, a rate of 0.85 goals per game. This season, Lewandowski has gone past Germany’s greatest striker in terms of the ratio: 313 league matches have brought 227 goals, a rate of 0.72 goals per game.

If he does continue at the same incredible figure for another five seasons, beating Muller’s otherworldly career total might just be possible.

[NikkiCFC 7,601]

When 20m per year is not enough so you have to make your own coffee lol

 

[King Kante 1,324]

33 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said:

When 20m per year is not enough so you have to make your own coffee lol

 

Why the fu*k does there need to be a picture of him with his top off to sell coffee?

[nyikolajevics 2,436]

Would be a nice backup for Giroud. 
 

Can he play on the wing?

[Fernando 6,378]

I want this guy, let's not waste our money on Lukaku. He can stay at Inter. 

If we can't get Haaland nor Mbappe, then this is the best buy we can get at this moment that will boost us instantly. 

[DH1988 1,201]

Be a Bayern riot if they let him go during Nagels first season, no shot surely, especially when he needs to guarantee the continuation of the Bundesliga titles rolling in. Just inviting pressure onto yourself.

[NikkiCFC 7,601]

Never understood how can he waste whole career in Bundesliga? I know, one of the greatest teams ever, big money but he won everything there, doesn't he want to try something new? 

[Blues Forever 1,232]

23 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said:

Never understood how can he waste whole career in Bundesliga? I know, one of the greatest teams ever, big money but he won everything there, doesn't he want to try something new? 

I don't see the problem. Lewa has won everything and seems happy at there.

[Magic Lamps 11,460]

16 minutes ago, Blues Forever said:

I don't see the problem. Lewa has won everything and seems happy at there.

Depends. Winning Bundesliga with Bayern is just like winning Ligue 1 with Paris. Just not a big title. Maybe it is different for him but I would not be content with not even trying to win a contested league title at least once all/play in the best league . 

Edited July 17, 2021 by Magic Lamps

[Blues Forever 1,232]

1 minute ago, Magic Lamps said:

Depends. Winning Bundesliga with Bayern is just like winning Ligue 1 with Paris. Just not a big title. Maybe it is different for him but I would not be content with not even trying to win a contested league title at least once all/play in the best league . 

Well as long as Bayern keep challenging for CL, i don't see any reason why he should leave. 

[robsblubot 3,253]

Bringing him in at this time makes no sense to me.

He would come to start, despite his age, and will disrupt the team. We won't be able to play to our strengths anymore. 

[NikkiCFC 7,601]

Zahavi and Roman are  great friends. Without Zahavi, Roman would probably not buy Chelsea. And apparently he wants to move him this summer. They just need to convince Lewa.

[Warning_Hazard 156]

Personally think this is risky but if he comes cheap it could pay off.

[King Kante 1,324]

No way are the club laying out £50m on a 33 year old CF with no experience of the PL.