Barcelona players train at the Sant Joan Despi Sports Complex before Saturday’s La Liga match against Villarreal. Photo: AFP
BARCELONA:
Barcelona host high-flying Villarreal on Saturday aiming to tighten their grip on pole position in La Liga amid concerns about the form of strikers Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres.
Coach Hansi Flick has rotated between the veteran Pole and the Spaniard this season to lead the attack, but neither has fully convinced.
Former Bayern Munich great Lewandowski, 37, has declined rapidly this season as well as enduring some fitness issues, while Torres, 25, is on course for a personal record for goals but most of them came in a purple patch towards the end of last year.
The Catalan giants have obvious problems in defence, as opponents exploit their high line with growing regularity, but last season managed to score enough goals to outweigh their deficiencies in that area as they lifted a domestic treble.
Wingers Lamine Yamal and Raphinha are among the best in the world in their positions but whichever option Flick places between them has struggled in 2026.
Torres has just three goals in his last 15 appearances across all competitions, and his all-round game is lacking, unable to contribute effectively as Barca build up attacks, frequently losing the ball.
Lewandowski has five goals in his last 18 games, but seems less mobile than before and a peripheral presence at times.
“With so many matches rotation at striker is natural, and I think Ferran and I can benefit from the current situation,” Lewandowski told Polish magazine Pilka Nozna this week.
“When you play 90 minutes every three days your whole life is about recovery, now the balance is a little better. I’m tired but I’m not worn-out.”
Barca still lead La Liga for goals scored, with 67, but they are coming from everywhere — 10 different players have scored two or more, and nobody has more than Torres on 12.
By contrast to Barca’s centre-forwards, Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe, despite struggling with a long-running knee problem, leads the scoring charts in Spain with 23 and the Champions League with 13.
“Mbappe is the best striker in the world,” admitted Flick in January. “He has scored many, many goals and is a world-class player.”
Flick’s side lead La Liga by a point ahead of Villarreal’s visit. A point behind Madrid host Getafe on Monday.
The German coach has not used England international Marcus Rashford much in that position, with the Manchester United loanee more keen on operating from the left.
However with Raphinha fit and firing after an injury absence, Rashford might change his mind and view playing as a number nine as his best chance of more minutes.
Rashford has been effective for Barca this season, albeit as much in providing assists rather than scoring, laying on 13 goals for his team-mates while netting 10 himself in 34 games across all competitions.
With some rest while other sides take part in the Champions League play-off round, Flick hopes a relatively quiet fortnight will do his team a world of good.
“It’s important that we have these two weeks, to rest a little bit but also focus on the next match against Villarreal, that will also be a tough match,” said Flick.
“After that hopefully every three or four days we have a match, so it’s important to have these two weeks.”
Villarreal trail leaders Barca by 10 points, and although their hopes of competing for the title have dwindled, they could be rekindled with a surprise victory at Camp Nou.
Player to watch: Pablo Fornals
Former West Ham midfielder Fornals, 30, is enjoying arguably the best season of his career with Real Betis, who host city rivals Sevilla on Sunday. The Spain international opened the scoring in the first match between the sides this season as Betis scored a 2-0 away win, which they are aiming to double down on at home.
