Hansi Flick has 'found a way to unlock' Robert Lewandowski as Barcelona set to 'make some noise' in Champions League
Published 02/10/2024 at 00:06 GMT+1
TNT Sports expert James Horncastle said Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has "found a way to unlock" Robert Lewandowski, as the former Bayern Munich striker netted his 96th Champions League goal in Barca's 5-0 win over Young Boys on Tuesday. The La Liga side have struggled to make a deep run into the competition in recent years, but Owen Hargreaves feels Barca will "make some noise" this campaign.
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New Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has "found a way to unlock" Robert Lewandowski after struggling under previous boss Xavi, TNT Sports expert James Horncastle said after the Polish striker scored twice in Barca's 5-0 win over Young Boys on Tuesday.
The convincing victory saw Flick's side bounce back from their UEFA Champions League opening defeat to AS Monaco, and saw Lewandowski score his 95th and 96th goals in the competition - continuing a fine start to the season.
Lewandowski was a main-stay in Flick's Bayern Munich team between 2019-2021 where the striker was largely renowned as one of the most prolific strikers in world football.
But the 36-year-old struggled to find his best form under Barca's previous boss Xavi, recording his lowest-scoring season since 2014-15 and netting just three goals in the Champions League as Barca fell at the quarter-final stage.
Horncastle feels Flick has the correct formula to have the veteran striker firing again.
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"Going back to last year, he was struggling for the first time in a long time, under Xavi," Horncastle said. "Hansi Flick obviously knows him, has found a way to unlock him.
"[Lewandowski] has all these fresh imaginative players around him. See Pedri come back into the side, Lamine [Yamal] obviously coming off an incredible summer, winning the Euros with Spain.
"They needed the win tonight after what happened two weeks ago [the defeat to Monaco] - you could say it's Young Boys, of course they're going to win, but they've struggled in the Champions League in the last six years."
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Barca's last truly deep run into the European competition came in their semi-final campaign in 2018/19, while the Catalan club have not reached the final since 2014/15.
But fellow TNT Sports expert Owen Hargreaves feels Flick's side are well-placed to "make some noise" in this year's iteration.
"Hansi Flick has won this competition, and he's got a heck of a squad there," Hargreaves said. "Defensively they've got a few issues, but they could make some noise in this competition."
Flick - who joined the club in the summer in place of departing club legend Xavi - have also enjoyed a fine start to their La Liga campaign, sitting three points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the standings.
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