Barcelona’s crisis lunch: Robert Lewandowski hosts team-mates at his house following Xavi’s announcement he will leave this summer… with captains ‘issuing rallying cry to save their season’

Robert Lewandowski reportedly hosted a meal for Barcelona players at his house in a bid to boost morale after Xavi confirmed he would step down as manager at the end of the season.  

The Barca striker has reportedly felt personal responsibility and sadness over his resignation and spoke with Xavi privately, even asking him to reconsider. 

Afterwards, he held the meal at his home, where the club’s captains tried to unite the squad for the rest of the LaLiga campaign and their Champions Legaue last 16 clash against Napoli.

Barcelona’s club captains for the season are Sergi Roberto, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Ronald Araujo, and Frenkie de Jong, but Lewandowski held the meal in his capacity as a senior star. 

The details behind the meal, held at the 35-year-old’s residence in Castelldefels down the coast from Barcelona, were revealed by Mundo Deportivo. 

‘CONCLAVE AT LEWY’S HOUSE: ‘The players, without the coaching staff, ate together at the Pole’s residence to make pina and face the crisis. The captains led the summit, where they tried to achieve maximum unity to reverse the bad dynamic’

Lewandowski has taken the resignation personally. He even apologised to Xavi and tried to persuade him to reconsider in a private meeting

Lewandowski, who has come in for criticism for his performances in recent weeks, has reportedly even apologised to Xavi. 

He has hardly had a bad season, scoring 13 goals and registering six assist in 29 appearances, but he has not hit his usual scintillating standards.

A goalless run of five games in LaLiga for the Polish frontman has been difficult for him to traverse.

Meanwhile, Ilkay Gundogan is understood to be more accepting of Xavi’s call and realises that it comes from a place of deep reflection.  

Xavi made the bombshell announcement that he would quit following a 5-3 home at home to Villarreal on Saturday, where Barcelona capitulated.

After coming from 2-0 down to take the lead, Barca conceded in the 84th, 99th, and 102nd minutes to throw away their lead against a mid-table Villarreal outfit. 

‘I’ll go even if we win the Champions League, he said. ‘I decided it some time ago.

‘People talk about there being a (Sir Alex) Ferguson at Barcelona but that is impossible at this club.

Xavi announced that he would resign at the end of the season after a 5-3 loss to Villarreal

The capitulation against Villarreal follows other disappointing defeats by Athletic club and Real Madrid in important games this month 

”The feeling of being a Barça coach is cruel, unpleasant and unpleasant one. There is a lot of disrespect and it affects you, until it leads to a decision like this one.

‘It is a decision I have taken with the president, with (director) Rafa Yuste and with Deco.

‘The situation we are in warrants a change of direction and as a Barcelona fan I know things can’t go on like this.’

The loss against Villarreal came days after a bruising 4-2 defeat by Athletic Club in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals.

Earlier in the month, they suffered a humiliating 4-1 defeat at the hands of arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana final, with Vinicius Jr netting a first-half hat-trick.  

Despite leading Barcelona to a first league title in four years last season, Xavi has struggled to bring together the club in a time of turmoil.

Ilkay Gundogan is said to have coped with the news better than Lewandowski, who was upset

Xavi has managed Barcelona through a turbulent time under club president Joan Laporta

He led the club to their first league title in four years last campaign but has struggled to find form this time around

Financial issues have plagued Barca, making it hard to register players at the start of the season, and they are playing in the Spanish Olympic Stadium while Camp Nou is being renovated. 

There has been persistent change and instability since Joan Laporta came back as the club’s president in 2021. 

Indeed, he initially did not want to hire Xavi as the head coach and denied that he would take him on, but their struggles under Ronald Koeman prompted a change of tack. 

With Deco, the former Barcelona and Chelsea player, now sporting director, xavi has less of a say over transfers and as a result, players who he was not keen o such as Joao Felix have been brought in.