Robert Lewandowski's gone cold! Why striker's loss of form could be a big problem for Barcelona

It was the kind of chance Robert Lewandowski usually buries. Midway through the first half of Barcelona's Copa del Rey semi-final clash with Real Madrid, the Polish striker snuck in front of a static Eduardo Camavinga, and slung his left foot at a cross. But he caught the ball awkwardly, giving Thibaut Courtois a fairly routine save to make.

Madrid swiftly countered, working their way down the other end of the pitch and grabbed a goal for a 1-0 lead. Lewandowski, meanwhile, could only watch and rue his miss.

The sequence was emblematic of the Pole's fortunes of late. Lewandowski got himself into the right area, struck the ball with the sort of technique most strikers fantasise about, but didn't find the net. And his team suffered as a result.

He is now in a mini-drought, with just two goals in his last eight games for club and country, and eight in his last 19. For anyone else, that's a respectable return. But for a striker who was famously robbed of the Ballon d'Or, it's a proper lull.

Indeed, stretches like this don't happen for the veteran frontman. And although it won't hinder Barca's charge towards a first La Liga title in three years, Lewandowski's inconsistency might just raise some concerns for the Blaugrana's future.