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Poland manager Czesław Michniewicz has revealed that Robert Lewandowski called him after Barcelona's disappointing elimination from the UEFA Champions League group stages.
For the second consecutive campaign, Barcelona will play in the UEFA Europa League knockout rounds. The Blaugrana finished third in a group with Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, and Viktoria Plzen this term.
Barca stood a good chance of recovering and qualifying for the Champions League knockout rounds when they faced Inter on 12 October (Matchday 4). However, individual mistakes in defense meant I Nerazzuri secured a valuable point at the Spotify Nou Camp with the game finishing 3-3.
The result meant Inter needed a win against Plzen on matchday six to qualify for the last 16 at Barca's expense - which they did. Barcelona's clash against Bayern Munich then became a dead rubber but the Bavarian giants still ran out 3-0 winners.
Lewandowski left Bayern to join Barca this summer for a fee of €45 million despite still having a year left on his contract at the Allianz Arena. It doesn't come as a surprise that Barca's elimination from UEFA's premier club competition hit him hard.
As reported by Diario Sport (h/t Heavy.com), Michniewicz said:
"If someone doubts it but I don’t think anyone does, Lewandowski worries a lot. He calls me himself and tells me about the national team. He was very upset for having been knocked out of the Champions League and wants to make amends even more with the national team."
Robert Lewandowski's Barca have been drawn against Manchester United in the Europa League play-offs in February. To no one's surprise, Lewandowski was included in Poland's 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Going by their manager's comments, the former Borussia Dortmund striker is eager to have a good tournament. The Poles are placed in a group that contains Argentina, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia and will fancy their chances of qualifying for, at least, the knockout rounds.
Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski makes big Argentina claim ahead of 2022 FIFA World Cup
Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski knows Poland have their task cut out in Group C.
Argentina are the obvious threat, and according to Lewandowski, are one of the favorites to lift the trophy on 18 December in Qatar. Speaking in an interview last month (h/t AS), he said:
"There’s not much to say when it comes to Argentina. They’re a huge team and one of the favorites to win the tournament in my opinion."
Argentina take on Poland on 30 November. La Albiceleste have won the World Cup twice (1978, 1986) and are heavy favorites to increase that tally later this year. Speaking about the fixture, the Barcelona star continued:
"With an absolute legend like Leo Messi as their figurehead, there’s no doubt that’ll be our toughest match."
