"Is that enough for him to fall down?" - Osasuna coach calls out Barcelona attacker for going down too easily to win penalty

Osasuna manager Jagoba Arrasate has called out Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski for his theatrics that led to the Blaugrana being awarded a penalty at the El Sadar Stadium on Sunday (September 3). The tactician insists that the Polish striker went down too easily to earn his side the spot-kick.

It proved to be an intense encounter as Barcelona traveled to take on Osasuna in their fourth La Liga game of the season. Following several minutes of resilience from both sides, the Catalan giants finally broke the deadlock via a Jules Kounde header just before the half-time whistle. The home team, however, came back into the game via an Ezequiel Avila equalizer in the 76th minute.

Just when everyone thought the two teams would share the spoils, Lewandowski won his side a penalty kick following a challenge from Alejandro Catena, which got the defender sent off. With just five minutes to go, the Polish forward stepped up and converted from the spot to seal all three points for his side.

Speaking after the game, Osasuna coach Arrasate couldn't hide his displeasure with the Barcelona striker. He argued that the situation wasn't deserving of a penalty kick or red card.

"We are always in the same degree of intensity," he was quoted as saying by Mundo Deportivo. "Is that enough for Lewandowski to fall down like that? For me, it’s not a penalty or a red card. It’s an instinctive gesture, I don’t think it’s enough to call a penalty."

"I think we played a great game. The pity is that we have do not have the reward that I think could have received going into the league break. The last play before the break does a lot of damage since."

“It makes you angry. They score you a goal in the corner and when we tie that goal, five minutes from the end that little grab [changed everything]. You can do something more, but today was not our day,” he added.

Following that result, Barcelona have now won recorded three wins and one draw from four La Liga games so far this season. As it stands, the Blaugrana occupy the third position in the table with 10 points, two behind their arch-rivals Real Madrid, who have won all four games so far.

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Robert Lewandowski is struggling under Xavi's system at Barcelona

Barcelona striker - Robert Lewandowski

Robert Lewandowski has been far from his best since the second half of last season. He's scored twice in three games this term but has been largely disconnected on the pitch.

The Polish striker isn't being helped by Xavi's system either. The tactician's decision to play with four midfielders has contributed to his side struggling to create chances, hence, limiting his striker's impact in front of goal.

Meanwhile, it is expected that the Spaniard could eventually return to the 4-3-3 formation in the near future after adding Joao Felix to his ranks. The signing of Joao Cancelo and the rerun of players like Raphinha and Pedri will also help with chance creation.