“Please swap him for Yakubu Aiyegbeni”, “Xavi must be clueless” - Barcelona fans frustrated with ‘finished’ player named in line-up to face Villarreal

A section of Barcelona fans online is frustrated with Robert Lewandowski starting their La Liga match against Villarreal at home on Saturday, January 27.

Lewandowski played almost every minute of every game when he was fit earlier this season. He's already crossed 2,000 minutes across all competitions, playing 28 games, but his goalscoring qualities have dropped. He has scored just 13 goals in that period and provided five assists.

Things have since changed to an extent. Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez has taken off the Polish striker in recent matches against Real Betis and Athletic Club, even when trying to find a goal. His generally poor performances have led Xavi to answer questions about Lewandowski at press conferences, as he recently said (via Tribal Football):

“In the last four games he has scored three goals, perhaps there is a feeling that he is not sharp in his controls or giving the final pass. He will continue to be important, he is a natural leader. We must improve and the locker room is very united."

Despite Lewandowski's performance levels dropping in recent weeks, Xavi has chosen to keep him in the starting lineup against Villarreal, which has upset fans. They are expressing their anger on social media, with one calling stating:

"Finished Lewandowski again. Just sack Xavi already."

One fan suggested swapping him for a retired Nigerian footballer:

"Please swap Lewandoski for Yakubu Aiyegbeni"

Another fan questioned the manager's decision:

“Lewandowski again, Xavi must be clueless”

Here is a selection of their posts:

One fan was quite frustrated:

Another questioned the manager:

Another called the manager "clueless":

---

Barcelona aim to recover from Cup loss in La Liga against Villarreal

Barca are looking to make a comeback in their La Liga game against Villarreal on Saturday. This comes after their recent defeat to Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey quarter-final where they lost 4-2, with the game going into extra time after a 2-2 draw.

This January has been tough for Barcelona in cup competitions generally. They lost 4-1 to Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final before losing to Bilbao. However, they've won their last three La Liga games, beating Almeria, Las Palmas, and Real Betis, to keep themselves in the title race.

Barcelona will now hope for a fourth consecutive league victory when they play Villarreal at home. Earlier this season, they beat the Yellow Submarine 4-3, and they will be looking to enjoy another win, while moving past their loss to Bilbao.