Barcelona star Robert Lewandowski has provided an insight into how he was able to throw fellow Blaugrana standout Frenkie de Jong off his game on Friday.
Frontman Lewandowski and midfielder De Jong locked horns on the international front yesterday evening.
This came by way of a crunch World Cup qualifying meeting between Poland and The Netherlands.
Both Barca stars featured from the off in the fixture, with Lewandowski having been tasked with working hard off the ball, in a specific effort to prevent De Jong from controlling the game.
And the 37-year-old’s endeavours, if his post-match comments are anything to go by, evidently proved effective:
“We talked a little during the game. I saw him (De Jong) sigh. I immediately realized the match wasn’t going the way he wanted. I tried to disrupt his rhythm with my movements. I know from training what Frenkie does with the ball when he gets into a rhythm. He can use his balance to energize the team. The simple fact that I pressed him made Frenkie look for alternatives.”
When all was said and done in Warsaw on Friday, the spoils were shared in a 1-1 stalemate.
The result leaves The Netherlands on the brink of automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup, with Poland playoff-bound.
Conor Laird – GSFN
