Push Dembele, like Benzema did with Vinicius Jr. in Madrid

Over the previous couple of months, Barcelona have feverishly been attempting to shave tens of tens of millions of euros off their participant wage invoice. But when Robert Lewandowski can triumph within the hidden process that he now is aware of lies in entrance of him then the LaLiga membership’s president, Joan Laporta, ought to instantly double the Polish striker’s wages.

For so long as Lewandowski and Karim Benzema keep match, this season shall be an exciting, high-stakes, toe-to-toe battle between them to attain ample targets to fireplace their respective groups to trophies.

Real Madrid‘s man, Benzema, clearly has a major benefit in that, over the previous couple of seasons, he is damaged in Vinicius Junior as a superb and more and more inspirational strike accomplice. Final season the French-Brazilian duo shared a complete of 111 targets and assists for Los Blancos whereas conquering each Spain and Europe. Devastating.

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And whereas the ex-Bayern Munich man has already found that Pedri, Ansu Fati and Raphinha have innate understanding for his penalty field motion, the man who holds the strongest profile as Lewandowski’s “Vinicius” is the often good however perpetually irritating Ousmane Dembele. These two males, though each have historical past at Borussia Dortmund, are in a novice partnership.

Lewandowski is not famed for his endurance within the face of second-class work, and whereas his tolerance is not destroyed but, not by a great distance, Saturday’s win at Sevilla gave proof of the size of the job in entrance of him. Barcelona, having regarded like conceding two or three over the primary 20 minutes, have been 2-0 up courtesy of Raphinha and Lewandowski’s fifth aim in 4 matches.

Sevilla’s nook kick simply earlier than half-time flew to the again publish, the place Pedri volleyed it away within the data that the house aspect solely had two defenders again and Dembele was lurking midway up the pitch. A visionary, improvised go. Off went the Frenchman like a supercharged Street Runner. His marker, Gonzalo Montiel, had a petrified expression on his face.

Solely two males correctly pursued Dembele’s breakaway: Sevilla’s Joan Jordan and 35-year-old Lewandowski. As Jordan regularly started to provide the impression that he was wading by means of moist cement, Lewandowski powered on, which meant that Barcelona all of the sudden had a superb two-on-one alternative to kill off Julen Lopetegui’s aspect simply earlier than the break.

All that was required was for Dembele to indicate a killer mentality by taking part in the screamingly apparent go to his 565-career-goals strike accomplice. Whether or not or not you’ve got watched the incident, you will have guessed by now that Dembele did the self-indulgent, brainless factor: he ignored his teammate and compounded the insanity by hoofing a narrow-angle shot over the bar.

What adopted was comical — except in fact you have been Lewandowski or Barcelona supervisor Xavi Hernandez. Dembele momentarily held his palms to his head, did not apologise to his astonished teammate, after which trotted off again down the pitch as if, Hey-ho! No biggie!

The veteran Polish aim scorer simply stayed stationary, lungs heaving, palms on knees, staring on the Frenchman, mouth agape with a shocked expression that mentioned: What the hell did I simply witness?! What the heck did I simply dash 70 metres for?

It is exactly the kind of factor you may need seen Vinicius doing to equally grim expressions from Messrs. Benzema, Modric and Kroos a few years in the past. Not now.

A tough-bitten all-in competitor like Lewandowski — a Treble winner with Bayern in his time — is aware of that any massive battle is not received by one or two troopers. It is not solely about him and Dembele making Barcelona nice.

However, the competition pitting him and Dembele in opposition to Benzema and Vinicius will go a really lengthy method to figuring out whether or not Los Blancos or Los Blaugrana dominate Spain and compete efficiently with the most effective in Europe.

Lewandowski has already defined to ESPN: “Karim is a improbable participant, who simply had a superb Champions League season. I would not like to match myself with him… He is been in LaLiga for a few years — it will be a brand new problem for me.

“Benzema has confirmed how good he’s, but it surely’s extra essential how we play at Barcelona, what we obtain, and it is extra essential that we win each sport.”

Let’s be clear. This is not a relationship breakdown below the highlight — it isn’t a disaster. However it’s a drawback for Barcelona that their principal assault partnership is each uncooked and 50% staffed by a winger who’s not an incredible learner.

Three elements make the issue larger.

Firstly, the Benzema-Vinicius partnership is not merely considerably longer established than Lewandowski-Dembele — it is genuinely excellent.

Secondly, whereas that brain-freeze from the French winger did not depend for something in opposition to Sevilla it may, actually, make a distinction of many dozens of tens of millions if it happens once more and is liable for Barcelona not escaping their brutal Champions League group kicking off on Wednesday, which incorporates Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.

And eventually, only for the report, to not declare it is a brutal statistic, however: Lewandowski and Dembele have now performed 306 aggressive minutes collectively for Barcelona they usually’ve solely mixed for one aim.

The emphasis, there, is on the winger. Lewandowski is the higher participant, the upper achiever, the prolific aim scorer, and he is the man Xavi has banked on to make the distinction as Barcelona try for the large trophies once more. He is made from “the suitable stuff” and Dembele, frankly, is not.

The Frenchman’s impression on Barcelona is excessive — he offered a complete of 13 assists final season, and Xavi is an evangelical believer however… when Dembele was a free agent this summer time, and Barca could not afford to resume him, no different main workforce thought-about him a world-class participant to be snapped up below cut price monetary circumstances.

If Vinicius had been contract-free over the past two months, it will have been the saga of the summer time. Let me put some meat on the bones: The Brazilian, who solely simply turned 22 years previous, final season in 52 matches in all competitions yielded Madrid 22 targets and 20 aim assists.

Dembele? Theoretically in his prime, aged 25, left Xavi raving with delight and decided to maintain him due to stats which final season learn: 32 matches, two targets, 13 assists.

There are causes. Dembele often erupts with touches of genius, sure. Reliability in the case of doing the suitable factor, typically even probably the most fundamental factor, nevertheless, as Lewandowski found on Saturday evening? Completely not.

This French enigma shares some traits with Vinicius — even one the place he is markedly stronger. Every is blessed not solely with magnificent tempo however with a frightening capacity to dribble previous rivals at excessive velocity.

The 2 males make sure that if an opponent workforce is taking part in a excessive defensive position, they will be assured a nervy evening as a result of Vinicius and Dembele could be performed in by teammates and make any area between a goalkeeper and his defence line look naive, bordering on the delusional.

And if this have been the cardboard sport Prime Trumps, the power the place Dembele clearly outstrips Vinicius is that he is genuinely two-footed.

However not solely is Vinicius higher total, regardless of his junior standing, he is a listener and a learner. His best tutor has been not Madrid supervisor Carlo Ancelotti, not Luka Modric — it is Benzema.

Vinicius beforehand defined: “I’ve by no means performed with a ahead at Karim’s stage. For the reason that starting I’ve received him area to play and he does the identical to me. We have been attempting to excellent this relationship — so I can help extra, rating extra, and assist the workforce extra.

“I’ve all the time had confidence however while you begin scoring and aiding extra you grow to be extra essential for the workforce and, in fact, confidence will increase.”

These are particularly the issues Lewandowski, much more than Xavi, has to put in in Dembele’s mind in the event that they, as a duo, are to shut the aggressive hole on Madrid.

The one help Barcelona’s No. 7 has offered his strike chief was a little bit of a gem. Proper-foot dribble, left-foot go, Lewandowski sprinting onto the opening and conjuring a backheeled aim for 3-0 and game-over in opposition to Valladolid on the Camp Nou final week.

What was nearly as attention-grabbing was that whereas Lewandowski celebrated, mobbed by teammates, he was very clearly instructing Jules Kounde how and when he needed the ball despatched to him. Following week? Kounde help, Lewandowski aim. Those that hear profit. Will Dembele be certainly one of them?

For the second, King Robert of the Camp Nou is completely satisfied to make optimistic noises about his winger’s potential.

The Barcelona striker informed ESPN: “Ousmane is a improbable participant with top-level qualities. I hope he stays match for the entire season. If Dembele is concentrated on the sport like he’s now, he can rating lots of targets and supply many assists.

“On the pitch, I need to lead my teammates with my physique language, to indicate them that regardless of what number of targets now we have scored, we will all the time rating extra.

“At all times suppose optimistic, all the time play ahead. At all times work onerous. That is what I would like.”

For Dembele, faculty is in session. On daily basis must be a studying day. Or else Professor Lewandowski’s physique language and vocabulary will change — radically. Watch this area.