Robert Lewandowski: The Masked Man Ready to Be Bayern Munich's Hero

Bruce Wayne, Peter Parker and Don Diego De La Vega. All three are masked men looking to do good behind a secret identity.

Robert Lewandowski may not be hiding a persona, but he too will be looking to perform the role of masked hero on Wednesday night.

As Bayern Munich take on Barcelona at the semi-final stage in the 2014-2015 Champions League, it will be Lewandowski holding the keys to any potential German success.

With Barcelona lying in wait, Bayern have drawn a tie with more than a hint of nostalgia about it, with both Pep Guardiola and Thiago Alcantara heading back home. It is also a tie carrying arguably the hardest opponent left in the tournament.

This should not come as a disservice to either Real Madrid or Juventus, but if you asked the Bayern players, management and supporters who they would prefer to face in the final four, it is unlikely that Barcelona will have topped that list.

Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press

That is because, currently, Barcelona are at their rampant best, fully living up to their status as one of the best sides in European football. Key players are on song, while manager Luis Enrique has overcome a mid-season blip, which had prompted suggestions of a premature departure from the Nou Camp.

Since that season low in January, Barca have been devastatingly brilliant, brushing aside all in their path, including Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain in the last two rounds of Europe’s elite competition.

It is no surprise, therefore, that they will head into the affair as favourites. The first of two hotly anticipated games arrives on Wednesday in Spain, with Bayern currently in the middle of what must seem a never-ending injury crisis. Arjen Robben’s return was short-lived to say the least, while the Bavarians are still without the influential David Alaba, as well as Franck Ribery and Holger Badstuber.

Four players may not seem a crisis as such, but when it is considered that three of the four are key performers for Bayern, it is certainly presents a problem for Guardiola.

Consequently the newly-crowned German champions can ill-afford another setback on the medical front. This seemed likely to be the case last week when Robert Lewandowski was clattered by Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Mitchell Langerak, leaving the Polish forward with a broken cheekbone, nose and concussion.

The club’s own Twitter account did not even try to sugar-coat their concern.

However, thankfully for Pep Guardiola and Bayern Munich, if perhaps not Barcelona, Lewandowski seems likely to feature, with the 26-year-old set to start on Wednesday evening, playing with the precaution of a mask. Both Jerome Boateng and Lewandowski himself have hinted at the centre-forward’s involvement.

Speaking on Monday on the subject of the former Borussia Dortmund man’s return to training, centre-back Boateng stated: “"He moved well and made a good impression, it looks like he's fit to play. He didn't have any fear, he is very brave and he will get used to the mask."

Lewandowski then allayed any fears by tweeting a picture with a far-from-cryptic message.

This will come as a real boost to the Bavarians and their chances of overcoming Guardiola’s former side. With Robben and Ribery ruled out, it is Lewandowski who holds the keys to Bayern Munich’s chances.

After what had been a relatively slow start to life at the home of the champions, Lewandowski has started to rediscover the form that made him one of the most sought-after attackers in Europe. On his day, the Polish international is up there with the best, and he is currently getting close to that sort of form, making his rapid return from injury all the more concerning for Luis Enrique.

In his debut campaign at Bayern, the 26-year-old has netted 23 times in 44 appearances, while he is also averaging a goal and an assist in every other European game, with five strikes and assists in 10 matches in this year’s Champions League.

It is since the turn of the year that he has really started to find his feet. Perhaps a slow start was always going to be likely, with Lewandowski having to adapt to a previously unfamiliar manner of play under a new manager.

At Dortmund, he had been the focal point of a team who pressed high and got the ball to him as soon as possible. In Munich, he is more a part of the supporting cast, with Guardiola’s style lending itself more to the likes of Arjen Robben than a traditional centre-forward.

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

Since February, though, and perhaps unsurprisingly coinciding with the Dutchman’s spell on the sidelines, Lewandowski has found the Midas touch, stepping into the goal-scoring void left by Robben, with 13 goals and five assists in his last 19 games.

The quality of performance has been improving on a weekly basis, with Lewandowski perhaps turning in his showing of the season to date in Bayern’s must-win second leg against Porto. As the Bavarians ran riot against their Portuguese opposition, the centre-forward was at his unplayable best.

His phenomenal effort recently against Eintracht Frankfurt was also indicative of more confidence creeping into his game.

If Barcelona require a reminder of just what an in-form Robert Lewandowski can do, they need only ask their bitter rivals Real Madrid. It would be fair to say that the 26-year-old has history when it comes to performing against Spanish clubs in European semi-finals.

A little over two years ago, Lewandowski propelled himself into the limelight with a quite sensational performance in Borussia Dortmund’s home leg against Real Madrid, netting all of his side’s goals in a 4-1 victory.

On that night Lewandowski was at his terrifying best, in a performance dubbed by the BBC's Alistair Magowan as a “striker’s masterclass.”

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

One wonders how Madrid’s centre-backs were ever able to recover from a game in which they were so comprehensively bullied and dominated from start to finish. The Pole was relentless and unstoppable, playing with pace, strength, power and an unnerving ability in front of goal.

There were two instinctive, close-range finishes, a powerful drive after some neat footwork and an unstoppable penalty for Lewandowski on a night where he announced his abilities to a wider audience.

Of course, those who can recall the game, or have watched it back since (one certainly hopes Barcelona have taken the time to show their defenders) will acknowledge that it was exactly the sort of performance Barcelona defences struggle with. As ball-playing footballers, the likes of Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano are excellent, but when faced with a powerful, traditional centre-forward, they are less convincing. 

When thinking of occasions where Barca have struggled against an attacker, games involving Didier Drogba immediately spring to mind. In many of the ties between Chelsea and the Catalans, Drogba was an influential figure, using his force and athleticism to cause trouble.

Barcelona are perhaps too well accustomed to being largely untroubled in defence, but Robert Lewandowski, like Drogba has in the past, will ensure this is not the case on Wednesday evening.

With Robben already ruled out for the rest of the season, his mantle as the leader of Bayern’s attack needs to be taken up. The likes of Thomas Muller and Mario Gotze are capable of creating difficulties for Barcelona, but neither as much as an on-song Lewandowski.

While Barcelona go into the two-legged tie as favourites, with their odds shortening as Bayern’s injury woes build, it would be foolish to rule out Pep Guardiola and his men. They illustrated against Porto in the last round how silly it can be to underestimate their abilities.

They without doubt have the players and the manager to execute a plan against even the best of sides. Perhaps the most integral part of any such plan is a physical, goal-scoring presence at the top of the pitch.

Just like Batman is Gotham’s masked hero, Robert Lewandowski can be Bayern’s on Wednesday night, and beyond.