The Atletico Madrid loanee insisted all summer on joining Catalonia, and he could not have asked for a better start
The statistics speak for themselves. Robert Lewandowski spent the first four matches of Barcelona’s season on an island. As usual, he was deprived of opportunities and forced to move to the wrong areas. Lewandowski did not have enough of the ball and therefore could not do what he wanted.
But last Sunday things changed. Lewandowski, who was involved in three of Barcelona’s five goals against Real Betis, had a partner in the final third, a buzzing creative presence that gave him everything he needed. This player, who was once the second most expensive teenager in the world and was subsequently rejected by Chelsea, was called Joao Felix. He admitted last July that Barcelona would be his “dream” destination if he left Atletico Madrid.
But how this happens is open to debate. Last year, FC Barcelona were a rather rigid team, and did not seem to have space for a talented striker, a player who had always had limited interest in the concepts of ‘defending’ and ‘off-the-ball work’. On Sunday, Felix led the way in the Blaugrana’s win over Betis, scoring a goal and coordinating the overall attack.
And on Tuesday, he did it again, scoring twice and setting up Lewandowski again, dominating the game against Antwerp and suggesting Barcelona may not have to worry about this year’s Champions League.
It may be too early to tell, and opponents may have been shattered, but this ‘dream’ transfer could be a wave of a magic wand for both parties.
