3 Barcelona stars under fire after recent dip in form | OneFootball

Barcelona have been flying for the vast majority of the season, but the comedown from their victories over Real Madrid and Bayern Munich has been a harsh return to reality. Two of their most lauded stars are now back under cosh again following three Liga matches without a win.

Despite 22 goals in 20 games for Robert Lewandowski, the Polish striker is once again seeing his critics from last season return. Manager Hansi Flick referenced ‘disconnections’ during his post-match press conference following the Las Palmas defeat, and on Friday had also emphasized the fact that the forwards had to press as hard as the defenders in order to make things work. Lewandowski is one of those accused of not doing so, following a game of loose play on the ball too.

Meanwhile Jules Kounde was being talked about as one of the best right-backs in the world a month ago, especially following his trio of assists against Crvena Zvezda. However he was subbed after 56 minutes against Las Palmas for Hector Fort, and was responsible for one of the goals conceded against Celta Vigo due to a mental error. Both Marca and Relevo say the pair are under pressure, while Frenkie de Jong is also having a tough time. The Dutch midfielder has been underwhelming in his return from injury with the notable exception of his 45 minutes during El Clasico. On Saturday, Pablo Torre and Gavi got the nod ahead of him with Marc Casado suspended and Dani Olmo rested.

Part of Barcelona’s issues this season have been down to a lack of strength in depth. The Blaugrana only have Eric Garcia as senior a rotational option for their centre-backs, while Hector Fort and Gerard Martin are inexperienced alternatives on the flanks. Up front, Ferran Torres is the closest they have to a nine, also injured for a couple of months, and no replacement has been found in the absences of Lamine Yamal.