Barcelona need to move on from Robert Lewandowski - but replacing legendary striker will not be easy

Rather than introduce Lewandowski, however, Flick opted for Ferran Torres to play up front. In fact, it wasn’t until 11 minutes from full-time that the Polish veteran was summoned from the bench to replace Rashford as Barca searched for a way to break down Atleti’s 10 men.

Eight minutes later, Lewandowski was wheeling away towards the Metropolitano corner flag after finally breaking the hosts’ resistance. It wasn’t the prettiest goal he will ever score, the ball bouncing in off his shoulder after Juan Musso could only parry Joao Cancelo’s fierce shot, but it could go down as one of the most important of Lewandowski’s season.

It could even be remembered as the final intervention of any substance of Lewandowski’s Barca career, and perhaps his time at the very top of the European game. The former Bayern Munich star has less than three months remaining on his contract at Camp Nou, and though no one is giving anything away regarding Lewandowski’s future right now, most signs point to him leaving, rather than still-cash-strapped Barca handing a fresh deal to a declining player who will turn 38 on the eve of the 2026-27 campaign.

"That's looking very far ahead right now," said Flick when questioned about Lewandowski’s future following Saturday’s ill-tempered encounter in the capital. "We have eight La Liga games to play. We have to stay focused and prepared."

Reports during the international break suggested that Barca were willing to offer Lewandowski a new deal, albeit one that would see him take a 50 per cent wage cut, though he would have the opportunity to earn plenty back through a variety of bonuses and clauses. Even at such a low cost, this would be a mistake on the part of the Blaugrana.

Lewandowski’s goal against Atleti showed that his scoring instinct remains intact, but there is no doubt that he has dropped off over the past 12 months.

The raw statistics paint a convincing picture of where Lewandowski is at right now. Last season, he mustered 42 goals in all competitions as Barca won a domestic treble. That return included 27 goals in 34 La Liga appearances, as Lewandowski found the net every 99 minutes, on average.

Fast-forward almost a year, and Lewandowski currently sits on 17 goals for the season, and while his minutes-per-goal number in La Liga is almost identical, he is no longer being relied upon from the start. He has been named to Flick’s line-up on just 12 occasions in the league this term, compared to 32 times in the previous campaign.

Lewandowski did actually make a strong start to the season, scoring eight times in his first 10 league games. But since November 22, he has netted just four times in La Liga.

In the Champions League, meanwhile, he has scored four goals from his last four games after going five appearances without finding the net in Europe. However, among those goals were the fourth in a 4-2 win over Sparta Prague and the final two goals in the 7-2 win over Newcastle in the last 16. His only goal of any real importance was the equaliser he netted against Copenhagen that sparked Barca into life before they ran out 4-1 winners.

The biggest issue for Lewandowski, however, is that he is struggling to get involved in Barca’s build-up play. He ranks in the 57th percentile for passes (14.2) and 35th percentile for touches (33.1) per 90 minutes in La Liga, per FotMob, while he wins fewer than half of the duels he is involved in.

Under Flick, Barca have embraced a high defensive line and fast-paced attacks involving the intricate passing of Pedri and De Jong, combined with the thrilling wing play of Yamal and Raphinha and late runs of Fermin Lopez. Lewandowski can thus look like a spare part for long periods as he waits for the ball to enter the penalty area.

"I am the sort of player who can play every type of football," he insisted during a recent interview with The Athletic. "I can adapt to many different tactical things. If we are playing counter-attacks, no problem. I can play in every type of tactic. I can learn a lot and adapt. I can play in every system. I was always open to everything, and I can learn and adapt very fast."

The eye test suggests that’s no longer the case, and Flick’s decision to deploy Olmo and then Ferran at Atletico told its own story.

Lewandowski will not be short of options should he wish to depart this summer. Reports of interest from MLS, most notably Chicago Fire, refuse to go away, while Juventus have been mooted as a potential destination should the Pole wish to continue his career in Europe. And though the man himself insists no decision has been made, he hinted in that same interview with The Athletic that he would not be against remaining with the Spanish champions.

"For now, I cannot tell you nothing (about what I will decide), because I’m not even 50 per cent sure which way I want to go. It’s not for this moment," he said. "I don’t put pressure on myself - probably when I was 25 or 30 that would have been different.

"With my experience and the age I am, I don’t have to decide now. I don’t have the feeling of which way I should decide. Maybe in three months is probably when I have to decide. But still, I don’t have any stress. I have to feel it. I have to start to feel it, then it will be easier for me when we talk about my future."

"Being at Barca over the past few years has allowed me to see how much dedication and work goes on behind the scenes to move the club forward," he added. "There is a strong sense of ambition and belief in the future, and that creates a lot of motivation for everyone inside the team.

"For a club like Barcelona, stability and trust in the long-term project are very important. I believe in continuity and in people who truly understand the values and identity of this club."

It’s no secret, however, that Barca have been considering their options and looking at alternatives should Lewandowski move on. Harry Kane has been their primary target, but with the England captain seemingly set to sign a contract extension with Bayern Munich, Barca would subsequently be priced out of any deal.

Juve’s own prospective free agent, Dusan Vlahovic, would be a far more palatable option from an economic point of view, but the Serbian has undoubtedly failed to live up to his potential in Turin, and thus it’s difficult to see how he would be an upgrade on an admittedly ageing Lewandowski.

Chelsea’s Joao Pedro and Hoffenheim’s Fisnik Asllani have been mooted as others Barca have shown an interest in, but neither can hold a candle to Lewandowski. Rather, the only real option is the man who will likely line up as Atletico’s starting striker in Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg at Camp Nou: Julian Alvarez.

While Alvarez is said to be open to a move away from the Metropolitano this summer, whether Barca would have the funds to make such a move for a player whose contract still has four years left to run on it feels unlikely unless they were to sell one or two of their own crown jewels along with some fringe players. Still, we've ruled Barca out of the running for players on financial grounds before, only for Joan Laporta to pull yet another lever to release funds.

Of course, getting Lewandowski off the books would also help somewhat, and that should be Barca’s first priority. These past four seasons have provided a delightful coda to one of the best careers from a European striker of the 21st century, but the time has come to move on, regardless of the difficulty that will come with finding a replacement.