Images via @juventusfcen, @en_sscnapoli, @FCBarcelona on Twitter
A slightly less impressive week for Polish representatives in this week’s Champions League group games. Breaking down the performances of Robert Lewandowski, Arek Milik and Piotr Zieliński.
Robert Lewandowski - Bayern Munich 2-0 Barcelona
Lewandowski’s return to the Allianz Arena was disappointing from a purely goalscoring perspective, but there was still much to be encouraged by if you’re a Barca fan. Yes, Lewandowski missed the kinds of chances you’d normally count on him to put in the back of the net, but he was a constant source of danger, setting up team-mates and controlling clearances that the Barcelona defence launched up the pitch.
In The Athletic, Pol Ballus wrote an article about the match (and Lewandowski’s performance in particular) which was a fantastic read and an accurate reflection of what Lewy brings to Barca even when he has a supposedly “bad” night.
Arkadiusz Milik - Juventus 1-2 Benfica
Milik continued his red-hot start to his Juventus career, scoring with a glancing header after just four minutes. After this, he did what he has done in all his games so far for Juve: drop slightly deeper to help his team retain possession and try to bring his team-mates into the game more. Unfortunately for him, the Juventus defence went to sleep on a couple of occasions, one leading to a penalty for Benfica, which was converted, as well as letting David Neres run straight into the box to finish past Mattia Perin.
Despite chasing a goal, Milik was substituted in the 70th minute. Cameras caught a very confused and annoyed looking Angel Di Maria asking Milik after the match why he was substituted, and it’s a very legitimate question. At this moment in time, Milik is offering more to Juventus than any other player in their squad, yet he has been coming off the bench or been substituted. Perhaps Allegri is trying to protect his fitness, but it does seem like Milik has to be playing from the start going forward, as I wrote on Monday.
Piotr Zieliński - Rangers 0-3 Napoli
Zieliński’s strong European form continued last night as Napoli went to an intense Ibrox to play a very motivated Rangers side. Zieliński helped relieve some of the early pressure on Napoli when he struck a half-volley with his left foot, which clipped the outside corner of post and bar. He had a great first half, consistently showing for the ball and putting in fantastic deliveries from set-pieces. Zieliński also had a moment where he ran nearly the length of the pitch, skipping past challenges and just about keeping the ball in play before he was tackled to win his side a corner.
His second half was marred by two penalty misses, yet he was still arguably the best player on the pitch and would have had at least one assist on another night, but much like Lewandowski, sometimes you play well even when it’s not your night.
A final word on Shakhtar Donetsk, who played their first home game in this season’s Champions League last night in Warszawa. Legia’s ground at Łazienkowska will be their de-facto home for European nights, and they managed to hold a good Celtic side to a 1-1 draw.
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