Barcelona's Champions League disaster: Lewandowski breaks his silence over shock exit

Days after Barcelona suffered a shock exit from Champions League 2022-23, star striker Robert Lewandowski finally broke his silence over the Catalan club's disastrous campaign in Europe's elite competition. Last Wednesday, the La Liga giants were comfortably beaten 3-0 by the Polish superstar's former club Bayern Munich, resulting in their drop into the Europa League for the second consecutive season.

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Lewandowski joined Xavi Hernandez's team this summer but could not change their fortunes in the Champions League this season. Days after the shocker, the Poland international admitted that he is bitterly disappointed after Barcelona's elimination but added that he feels the team can use the experience to improve themselves moving forward. The 33-year-old striker believes the Catalan club can get back on track under Barca boss Xavi with 'time and patience'.

"Obviously, I'm not happy; Barcelona should be in the last 16," Lewandowski told La Vanguardia. "But before I came to Barca, I was already aware that the first season could definitely be more difficult than it should be," he added.

Also read: 'It's a shame, but you can't blame the players or the coach' - Laporta on Barcelona's UCL exit

"We are in the process of rebuilding, which takes time; we must be patient. I'm sure these setbacks will make us grow as a team and that everything will be different next season. We are evolving. I wasn't expecting to arrive and that everything would go well in season one. I insist that it is a process that requires time and patience," Lewandowski concluded.

Lewandowski has had a great start to his time at Barcelona, scoring 18 goals in 17 games played in all competitions. He most recently did so on Saturday against Valencia, scoring the game-winning goal in stoppage time. With Real Madrid securing a draw against Girona at home, Barcelona is now just a point behind their arch-rivals at the top of the La Liga table. However, their European fate has already been sealed ahead of their final group game away at Viktoria Plzen on Tuesday.

Also read: UCL: 'Elimination before the game affected Barcelona psychologically' - Xavi on Bayern hammering