Thirty-nine goals! 27 Bundesliga matches! A total of 46 goals in 38 games for Bayern Munich this campaign. Beat that!!!
A certain Polish hitman is taking on records in Europe and crunching new ones out by the game.
To put it into a better perspective, Robert Lewandowski has averaged a goal every 72 minutes this season. No other player in Europe has scored more than 30 goals in their respective domestic leagues. This thirty-two-year-old Polish international is the undisputed king of goal statistics this season.
Bockstark, Lewy! 💪#SVWFCB #FCBayern #MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/TX68Gxwitw
— FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) March 13, 2021
In his quest to quench his hunger for goals, Lewandowski has earned his team 45 points. He is just one goal away from breaking Gerd Muller’s record of 40 goals set in the 1971-72 season. That, frankly, is a walk in the park for the man in form.
LEWANDOWSKI AND HIS RETURN FROM INJURY
Lewandowski did not feature in the Poland vs England match on the first of April due to a ligament injury he had in the national side’s match against Andorra. Poland lost the match against England and as a result, find themselves fourth in the table in the World Cup Qualifying list. His injury also excluded him from the Champion’s League semi-final legs against PSG, which Bayern ended up losing. Both Bayern and Poland were heavily influenced by the absence of their star man.
Robert Lewandowski has returned to Bayern Munich to receive treatment on a knee injury, Poland have confirmed.https://t.co/7NzXodBEHU
— AS USA (@English_AS) March 29, 2021
The striker only made his return for the fixture against Mainz on the 24th last month and extended his goalscoring tally. Despite Lewandowski’s sparkling return, Bayern lost the match. He is Poland’s all-time leading goal scoring with 66 goals in 118 appearances. No other Polish international has scored more than 50 goals for the country. He is also their most capped player and without a doubt the biggest name that has emerged from the nation.
THE STARS ON SHOW
There aren’t many teams in Europe that have doubts about who will take the goalkeeping duties, but Poland is one of the few. In Lukasz Fabianski and Wojciech Szczesny, they have two capable men to choose from. Fabianski has kept nine clean sheets and conceded 42 goals this season while Szczesny has conceded just 27 but managed only five clean sheets. The Portuguese coach Paulo Sousa will be more than content with his goalkeeping options.
69 – Since the start of last season, Robert Lewandowski has scored 69 goals in 60 appearances for Bayern Munich in all competitions, including 18 goals in 14 Champions League games, the most of any player in that time. Nice. pic.twitter.com/NQ5uNyXDSX
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 25, 2020
Jan Bednarek of Southampton will be the obvious first choice keeper. He will be key alongside Kamil Glik to protect the Polish goal from possible counter-attacks. This Poland team is prominent going forward and Bednarek will have to remain sharp to negate any threats that come his way. Bednarek is a tall and strong defender who is a commanding presence in the back-line. He is well equipped to deal with even the best strikers in Europe and is also equally capable of starting attacks himself.
In Midfield they have Piotr Zielinski and Kamil Jozwiak. Zielinski has been impressive for Napoli this season with six goals and eight assists in the Serie A. He is bound to take the central midfield for Poland. Kamil Jozwiak has sparked some interest this season and has been impressive for Poland in the chances he has got. These two men will be key to the link-up play with Lewandowski up-front to create goal-scoring chances for Poland.
WILL THEY LIVE UP TO THE EXPECTATION?
Poland’s best-ever performance was a gold medal in the 1972 Olympics. In the European Championships, Poland has only qualified three times and their best finish is a quarter-final exit in 2016. This year, the Polish fans will be expecting more from their squad as they take Group E along with Spain, Slovakia and Sweden. A lot is riding on the performances of their star men. This year is Poland’s best chance of making an impact on the global stage. A chance they may not be entitled to in the years to come.
To all those who don’t know, Lewandowski holds the record for the most goals in a European qualifier with sixteen goals in his 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches. But in Russia, he did not manage to score a single goal in the group stages of the World Cup and Poland did not qualify for the knockouts. Similarly, back in 2016, Lewandowski did not even manage a shot on target in the group stages of the UEFA EURO 2016. A poor statistic for one of the world’s most proficient goalscorer.
#Flick on @lewy_official potentially hitting 40 goals: "Of course, the record is also on his mind. But he also knows how we work. We want to win first. And if we play good football, he is the one who benefits the most because he has such quality."#FCBBMG pic.twitter.com/iOONIAP5tT
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) May 7, 2021
Spain is the clear group favourites, but they have had their share of woes for years now. Slovakia and Sweden also have a point to prove. A tough group, but one that Poland can overcome if they ply their best. With a goal conversion rate of nearly 35 per cent, Robert Lewandowski will take the centre stage. He will need to bring his golden boots to ensure a successful campaign for his national team. Will Poland be able to put on a show this summer?
