German Cup: Robert Lewandowski (81′) Drochtersen/Assel 0-1 Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich’s German Cup match against Drochtersen/Assel was delayed due to beach balls being thrown on the pitch.
Robert Lewandowski said he felt “an easy target” as criticism drove him to seek a transfer from Bayern Munich over the summer.
Lewandowski, who turned 30 on Tuesday, failed to score in April’s Champions League semifinal exit to Real Madrid and spurned goal-scoring chances in the 3-1 DFB Pokal Final loss to Eintracht Frankfurt the following month.
“When everything is going well it’s taken for granted what I do. If it goes badly, Lewandowski is to blame,” he told Sport Bild. “That was how I felt at the end of the season. In April and May, almost everyone was having a go at me, I felt alone in this situation and didn’t enjoy any protection from the club.”
“That disappointed me. I was an easy target because I failed to score in two or three important games. Suddenly it was a case of everybody laying into Lewandowski. I had the feeling that no one was behind me — none of the bosses defended me.”
Lewandowski’s agent, Pini Zahavi, revealed in May that the Poland international wanted “a change and a new challenge.”
“That was agreed with Pini because at that time I wasn’t feeling happy in Munich,” Lewandowski said as he addressed his transfer request for the first time. “It wasn’t working out and everything came at once.
“I felt as if I had been at Bayern for just one season and enjoyed zero credit at the club. That’s why I thought about leaving.
“That was the point when I thought: if everyone here has a problem with me and thinks I am not good enough, why should I stay here any longer? Everything came to a head before the World Cup. It was a difficult time for me. I thought about offers from other clubs.”
However, after bagging four goals in the opening two games of the season, Lewandowski has banished any prospect of a move to the back of his mind under the tutelage of new coach Niko Kovac.
“I had very good talks with Kovac,” he said. “The club will not consider selling me and is trying to keep me at all costs.
“That was the point when I said to myself: ‘I want to give everything to this club again.’
“I’m now 30. I know how important I am and still have three years on my contract. I will never go on strike nor fight with the club. I will not waste any time thinking about [moving] abroad.
“Yes, I had problems but not with Munich nor the people here. My heart beats again for Bayern. I’m looking forward to my future at the club and the city.”
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