Robert Lewandowski not comfortable playing alongside Barcelona forward up front: Reports

Barcelona superstar Robert Lewandowski does not feel comfortable playing alongside former Manchester City forward Ferran Torres, El Nacional has claimed.

Lewandowski, who joined Barca from Bayern Munich earlier this summer, scored his first La Liga goal (and brace) for the Catalans in Sunday’s (August 21) 4-1 win over Real Sociedad. The match allowed the new no. 9 to take stock of his teammates in attack, and as per the aforementioned source, Torres failed to impress him.

Lewandowski was reportedly uncomfortable playing alongside the Spaniard and preferred it when Ansu Fati came in to replace him at half-time. The Pole enjoyed playing alongside the La Masia graduate, with the duo combining to score Barcelona’s third and fourth goals of the night. Fati first assisted Lewandowski for Barca’s third, before Lewandowski’s flick helped the young forward get on the scoresheet himself.

Lewandowski did not have the same chemistry with Torres in the first half, with the pair barely doing anything to put the opposition under pressure. It is believed that Lewandowski does not see Torres as his best companion in attack anymore, with the Polish striker preferring other Barcelona forwards ahead of him.

The duo's bland chemistry might have stemmed from Torres' poor form. The Spaniard suffered a foot injury during Barcelona's pre-season friendly win over Real Madrid (July 23) and missed a lot of friendly football. As a result, not only did he fail to get in top shape, but he also couldn't connect with his teammates during the off-season, including new arrival Lewandowski.

---

Barcelona and Manchester City play out exciting 3-3 draw in charity friendly

Xavi’s men welcomed Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to Camp Nou for a friendly clash on Wednesday night (August 24). The match was organized to fund Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) research, after former Barcelona keeper Juan Carlos Unzue, who also worked under Guardiola, was diagnosed with the disease.

Both coaches fielded strong XIs in front of a packed Camp Nou and played eye-catching football.

Julian Alvarez opened the scoring for Manchester City in the 21st minute only for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to cancel it out eight minutes later. In the 66th minute, Frenkie de Jong fired the hosts ahead with a close range finish, but the lead only lasted four minutes as Cole Palmer promptly equalized. Barca put their noses in front once again in the 79th minute, with Memphis Depay finding the back of the net.

Nine minutes into injury time, Barcelona’s Andreas Christensen fouled Erling Haaland and conceded a penalty, allowing Riyad Mahrez to equalize for the spot. The game justly ended in a 3-3 draw, giving fans more action than they had hoped for from a friendly fixture.