Lewandowski's injury with the Polish national team didn't go down well within FC Barcelona, as revealed on Barça Reservat, a program on Catalunya Ràdio.
The player felt discomfort at halftime, but returned to the pitch and played the full 90 minutes against Lithuania. When he returned to Barcelona, tests detected an injury that will keep him out of the upcoming Clásico against Real Madrid on October 26.
This Thursday, Jan Urban, the current Poland coach, appeared on the program to discuss what happened to the striker. Urban expressed surprise at the Pole's injury: "I'm surprised by Robert's injury. It's true that he felt something, but for me, with a torn fibrillar muscle, it's impossible to play. It doesn't let you run at high speed, I don't understand it. It's true that he felt something, and we agreed with the doctor, Robert, and I that if he felt something, he would raise his hand and we would make the substitution. But he held out without any problems until the end."
In fact, Urban rested the Barça player in the first friendly against New Zealand so he could only play in the qualifier against Lithuania: "He was in perfect condition; he didn't play against New Zealand because we decided that way. We wanted to give other players a chance. I was thinking about some scar tissue from the previous injury, I don't know, I was a player; when there's a muscle injury, they stop. I don't understand that injury."
"Under no circumstances would I risk the health of any player."
After the discomfort caused by the Pole's injury at Barcelona, the coach defended himself: "Under no circumstances would I risk the health of any player. Always ahead. There are many games; it's not worth playing injured. I would like to have Lewandowski for the next international break, and that's why I wouldn't risk his health. We know how important he is for Barça and for us."
Some suggest Lewandowski will be out for four or five weeks, but the Polish coach believes it's not serious and he should recover sooner, although he "doesn't want to get involved in the doctors' business."
Lewandowski is in the final stages of his career, and Barcelona knows this. Flick already wanted to pace him last season, but this season it seems like he'll be even more so. Urban understands the German coach's decisions, but he's reminded of his number nine's goal-scoring ability: "These are the coach's decisions. I don't know how they see Robert. Whether they've talked about pacing him or not, he's 37 years old; it's normal that he can't last three games. But that's up to the Barça coaching staff. What I know is that if the team creates chances, Robert scores goals. He does it like the best in the world. He's capable of repeating last season's goals if he's physically fit. I see him in good physical condition. We don't know if the injuries he's had are due to age or overexertion. Everyone has to look at both sides. We have to be careful," he concluded.