“He’s too slow”, “Will still be the downfall of Hansi” - Fans insist 2 Barcelona stars should be sold immediately after pre-season win vs Man City
Some Barcelona fans online have slammed Robert Lewandowski and Marc-Andre ter Stegen after their penalty shootout win against Manchester City. It came in their first pre-season friendly at the Camping World Stadium on Tuesday, July 30.
Lewandowski came on at the hour mark when the scores were 2-2 but he couldn't make any impact. He completed 7/8 passes, completed 0/1 dribbles, delivered 0/1 accurate crosses, and won 1/3 duels. Meanwhile, Ter Stegen didn't even play but fans online slammed him as well after watching Inaki Pena's performance.
They shared their reactions on X, with one writing:
"With the way Lewandoski is playing, we urgently need a striker. In fact I prefer Pau Victor. He’s too slow. Don’t sign Olmo. We have Padri, Fermin and Pablo Torre for that wing. Get us a Striker. Lewandoski is gone."
Another tweeted:
"Lewa will still be the downfall of hansi if he doesn't find a good replacement for him now before season starts"
One fan opined:
"Ter Stegen and Lewandowski should be shipped to Saudi"
"Ter stegen should never near our goalie again," one fan declared.
"I think it’s time Hansi Flick converts Ansu Fati into a proper striker cos we are so done if we depend on Lewandowski," another fan wrote.
"I have learnt that Lewandowski is totally finished," another fan tweeted.
While he showed a good resurgence in the second half of the campaign, Lewandowski has a disappointing 2023-24 season with Barcelona. The 35-year-old registered 26 goals and nine assists in 49 games across competitions.
Ter Stegen, meanwhile, made 36 appearances across competitions last season for Barcelona, keeping 17 clean sheets.
Barcelona begin life under Hansi Flick with a penalty shootout win
The Blaugrana sacked Xavi Hernandez at the end of last season and appointed Hansi Flick. The pre-season friendly against Manchester City on Tuesday was his first game in charge of the club.
It began well as Pau Victor gave Barcelona the lead in the 24th minute before Nico O'Reilly equalised for the Cityzens in the 39th minute. Pablo Torre restored Barca's lead in the second minute of first-half stoppage time. Jack Grealish then restored parity in the 60th minute.
The game went to penalties, where Jacob Wright and Kalvin Phillips missed for Manchester City. Barcelona converted all of their penalties, winning 4-1. They will next face arch-rivals Real Madrid at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Saturday, August 3.