Barcelona looked as if, like against Real Betis, they were destined to drop two points from a winning position twice in Germany on Wednesday night. Once again it was Ferran Torres that was the unlikely hero, although this time the Valencian forward had the happy ending he wanted.
Torres again replaced Lewandowski, who for the third game in a row did not complete 90 minutes, having not played against RCD Mallorca. As happened in the Betis draw, Torres was sent on for the final 20 minutes. Catalunya Radio say that manager Hansi Flick has detected that Lewandowski struggles to last 90 minutes at 100%, and has decided to begin taking him off whenever he detects that his physical level is dropping.
Ferran Torres: "Tonight was one of the most special nights as a Barça player." pic.twitter.com/8cAmCNzdXE
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) December 11, 2024
Flick is obsessed with the high press, and as soon as he detects that Lewandowski is struggling, he would rather take him off than maintain him at a lesser level. It’s notable that both Dani Olmo, albeit all season, and Raphinha have also come off multiple times in the last week, as has Pedri. The German coach is more likely to take off a player he feels is struggling physically than one who is having a bad game.
Certainly the goals that the Blaugrana have conceded have seen errors both with the ball and in their pressing of late. The major question about this Barcelona side is their squad depth, with most believing the bench to be much lower quality than the starting XI. Over the last week at least, Flick has begun to trust his bench more.