Tell me again that this is not what this team needs? Thierry Henry on Robert Lewandowski leaving FC Barcelona: “I’ve seen many great strikers in football… players with talent, players with numbers, players with moments. But Lewandowski was different because he gave you everything a young team needs.” “He brought goals, yes. But more importantly, he brought discipline, mentality and calmness inside the dressing room. That is something people outside football never fully understand.” Interviewer: “What made him special at Barcelona?” Henry: “The respect he had for the club and for the younger players. Look at Pedri, look at Lamine Yamal… Lewandowski was always guiding them, talking to them, teaching them how to handle pressure at the highest level.” “A lot of experienced players only think about themselves near the end of their careers. Lewandowski was the opposite. He wanted the next generation to become better than him.” “He understood football beyond goals. Positioning, movement, leadership, professionalism… every training session he showed younger players what it truly means to be elite.” “And honestly, when he leaves, Barcelona fans will realise his value even more. Because replacing goals is possible sometimes… replacing mentality and leadership is much harder.”
I did mention hearing it from two sources but I don’t trust either. One was “xcrement”, as some people correctly call it…
Got it. That makes some sense. For the record, It would be short sighted to move Cuypers in order to sign Lewandowski. However, it we were to get a monster offer for Cuypers ($15-20+ million) selling would make sense. That is not going to happen, considering he is 30. Someone I know in Belgium (who is my go to about all things Belgian football) posted last week that there was a rumor (rumour, being from Europe) in Belgium that Cuypers was being considered for selection for the World Cup teams, to alleviate the striker shortage on the Belgian NT. Not going to happen, of course, but it indicates his name still has value there. That said, Cuypers being in his customary, hard working role and Lewandowski there scoring a boatload of goals (and being the world-class leader we need), with the rest of the talent on the team and the Fire would be pretty unstoppable.
That is the theory. Not sure he "deserves" it, since he was never capped at the senior level, but he certainly is the in form Belgian striker at the moment.
Agree. But I believe MIR97 was correct in pointing out there is a midfield performance problem . Not sure if it is the quality of players or something else. Too many intervals, sometimes lengthy, when midfield is simaltaneously not performing it’ s defensive duties and not contributing to offense either. Perhaps Franco will click with either DaVilla or Saletros and solve this problem. Or maybe not.
"Lewandowski began negotiations with Al Hilal in February. Interestingly, there was a twist, and the talks broke down. Negotiations were halted when Israeli and US forces attacked Iran. Currently, the situation in the Middle East is still developing, and the war continues. It's fair to say that the situation there is simply dangerous." -WP Sportowe Fakty A transfer to Chicago Fire is also likely. Where should the striker go? Polish national team legend Jerzy Dudek has a clear opinion on this and would like the Polish international to play in the United States. "Perhaps less money, but more fame. Perhaps Robert still needs this to build his brand. I see a greater benefit in this, although it's a tougher league, more physical football, and many young, strong, and capable players," admitted the former goalkeeper.… -PAP
Nice to see MLS being referred to as one of the tough leagues... Pete (admits that's not so impressive when being compared to the saudi league, but still...)
Everything said about him is likely true. But that does not mean he is automatically the solution to the team’s biggest on-field problem. Has it been lack of scoring or something else?
Thierry Henry just got finished explaining how what he brings isn’t just scoring. The scoring can be replaced but the leadership and professionalism is what he brings that improves the team across the board.
I am aware he brings a load of off-field value but he also has an off-field liability-his age. I purposely limited my comment to on-field value. Some clarification may be in order. I tend to overly-complicate and/or confuse discussions due to my near obsession to present both sides of a question and keep an open mind. Sorry if this is a problem for you. This has been a tough decision but I am finally leaning toward Lewy. The fact that GGG has played 4-2-2-2 regularly and recently made comments indicating to me that he feels a Cuypers/Lewy combination would work and would be agreeable to both players was deciding factor. His opinion matters a lot, he sees the players every day and has multiple discussions. That formation essentially means the plan is no #10, instead featuring Franco as an #8 and either D’Avilla or Saletros as the #6. Pineda and Oregel as subs.
The only problem I see with this team is lack of depth. Pete (is pretty thrilled with the season so far)
I think our depth is great. We managed a win without Franco, Bamba, Barroso, Saletros, D'Avilla, or Gutman starting. I believe all 6 of those are part of our preferred starting 11.
Another is to try what GGG is trying… 4-4-2 with the strikers alternating who pushes the line and who drops back in the ‘hole’ behind (between the lines). Primary difference between that and a 4-2-3-1 is they don’t alternate, one (false9/CAM/10) stays between the lines and is more commonly played by a dribbler/passer that can shoot….vs a true striker that also has decent holding and reasonable passing skills. Cuypers does it well, MHS is ok at it, and Lod can’t seem to find the rhythm for either. I suspect Hugo and RL9 will do it very well together.
Not so sure that is what GGG is trying to do. Maybe . Saw lots of 4-2-2-2 with wingers halfway between forwards and midfielders recently. GGG is apparently giving them a lot of latitude, trying to figure things out.
Just read that. Good comment. We all like the MiR97 guys, but that is some seriously short sighted ridiculousness. First, comparing Lewandowski to Ibrahimovic is incredibly stupid. On and off the pitch they are incredibly different. Second, they are entirely discounting the entire package. They focus on ONE match and that we won that match. They ignore all of the matches we did not win. There is only one way to lose (or draw) a match, score fewer goals than the opponent (score only the same number). To think Lewandowski would not help the Fire win because we won our last match is just about the dumbest take possible. I won't comment further, as you all can read it.
Another week, more history. ✍️Hugo Cuypers became only the third player in MLS history to score in 10 consecutive matches: https://t.co/TA2cC5Z8L5 pic.twitter.com/8WpGSTO2kI— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 19, 2026
His stock has fallen so far after his stint at Barcelona. I mean, I’d take him but not above Modric or Lewandowski.