Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has come to the defense of Robert Lewandowski amid the striker’s roller-coaster form.

Lewandowski has had a fair share of sluggish performances for Barcelona as of late. He has scored a mere two non-penalty goals in the La Liga and UEFA Europa League competitions since the club's return to action following the 2022 FIFA World Cup. For one, he played in the entirety of Barca’s Europa League second leg matchup against Manchester United, where he logged just one shot on target.

Xavi sees that while Lewandowski is a player who often drops out of his designated space on the pitch, the Polish international needs regular service in the penalty box in order to truly make an impact on the pitch.

“I think he participates a lot,” Xavi said during a pre-match press conference ahead of Barca’s La Liga contest against Almeria. “He comes down to receive the ball, he links with other players.

“We need to look for him more in the penalty box. I think we are missing that final pass toward him in the penalty area. But he does participate a lot in the attacking play of the team.”

Lewandowski entered the ongoing season with high expectations for his debut campaign with the Catalan side. While he has already won one trophy this season, the pair of eliminations in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League competitions sure did leave a sour taste in his mouth.

Xavi added that the former Bayern Munich striker is well aware that he took his talents to a club that has “mid to long-term objectives.”

“He’s good,” Xavi said. “He is conscious of the fact that this is a process with mid to long-term objectives. He decided to come here last year, and I think now we are much more competitive than when he arrived. We have won one title so far. He is conscious that we can compete with the best.

“Robert is now focused on winning the league and the cup.”

Lewandowski has chipped in with 20 goal contributions in 19 contests played in La Liga so far this season.