A leading member of the attacking ranks at La Liga giants Barcelona was aware well in advance of the club’s latest outing that he would be forced to watch on from the bench.
That’s according to Barca insider Toni Juanmarti of Diario Sport, who points towards Robert Lewandowski as the player in question.
Barcelona are of course currently locked in action, in the 2nd leg of a Copa del Rey semi-final showdown with Diego Simeone’s Atlético Madrid.
The aforementioned Lewandowski was left out of the Blaugrana’s XI for the clash, with Ferran Torres preferred to lead the line at the Metropolitano.
And as much, as alluded to above, came as no surprise to Barca’s top scorer himself.
As per Toni Juanmarti, Lewandowski recently held an in-depth discussion with manager Hansi Flick, during which the mutual agreement was reached to afford the 36-year-old a rest against Atlético:
‘Lewandowski’s substitution tonight is something that has been discussed, in a way, agreed between the coach and the striker for days. Hansi told him that he would pace him, especially in the Cup. This also allows him more minutes in the League to fight for the Golden Boot.’
Conor Laird – GSFN
