The drought lasted four small matches. For four games, Bradley Barcola seemed to have lost that little spark which had hurt so much at the start of the season. Author of 4 goals in his first three Ligue 1 matches, the French international (7 caps, 1 goal) had been transferred for almost a month (September 1). So we were starting to worry a little on the PSG side and Kylian Mbappé’s words at a press conference resonated more and more. “I really wish him the best. I also hope that you will spare him because today it’s fresh, it’s new, so it’s great, but when he has matches where he doesn’t score, you shouldn’t come to me ask the same questions to tell me it’s rubbish”confided the Real Madrid striker. Let Kylian Mbappé rest assured, Barcola is not a loser and he proved it this Friday evening.
Starting in the left lane of the Parisian attack against Rennes, the former OL player, ultimately credited with an 8.5 and elected man of the match by the FM editorial team, quickly regained his sensations and brought to life a real hell for Leo Østigård, his direct opponent. Discreet in the first minutes of the match, Barcola gradually gained strength and ended up completely letting go after half an hour of play. Well served by Ousmane Dembélé in a lightning counter-attack, Barcola fixed, Barcola delayed and Barcola found the net with a loose curl of which he has the secret, leaving Steve Mandanda helpless and too short (1-0, 30th). A goal that erased the few doubts in his head.
A double that feels good
Returning from the locker room, the 22-year-old striker passed the second. Dribbling, deflections and formidable strikes which forced Julien Stephan to take out Østigård (65th) completely swept aside by the former Lyon player. But it was too late. Before that, he had two big chances. The first one didn’t go far. The second ended on Mandanda’s post but allowed Kang-In Lee to follow to place his header in the empty goal (2-0, 58th). And it wasn’t over. Ten minutes later, it was once again Barcola who received a cross from Achraf Hakimi for the double goal (3-0, 68th). Enough to end his great evening performance since he was replaced immediately after his goal. But also enough to go alone at the top of the ranking of top scorers in Ligue 1 with 6 goals (ahead of Mason Greenwood and his 5 goals). “He is a very great player, but the team remains the most important thing. Every player is important. But I am impressed by his performance, he is very technically strong. I see him in training because I defend on him and it’s not easy”Joao Neves said after the meeting about him. A thought shared by Kang-in Lee at the microphone of DAZN. “He’s a fantastic player, incredible, the others too like Warren, Neves… We are a very strong team and we are going to improve”.
When he’s in this form, it’s hard to stop Bradley Barcola. And Luis Enrique can rub his hands at having a player of this caliber in his squad. “I don’t know any player who is perfect in every match… We’re talking about a player in his twenties… he wasn’t bad last time and great tonight… Be a little more measured” launched the Spanish coach after the match. For his part, the player made no secret of feeling good at PSG. “We gave a lot, I felt good today. I gave what I had to give, and I’m happy with the result. I think we pressed a lot, defended together, attacked… At the end, we were a little more tired so we conceded a few chances, but we had a good match. I really like one on one, so when I have space, I feel comfortable, I can go all out, provoke, shoot, pass… The absence of a 9 frees up space for everyone, we swap around a lot”confided the main person after the match. This bodes well a few days before the Champions League clash against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. Parisian supporters can rest assured: Bradley Barcola is back and still just as formidable in finishing at the start of the season. Mikel Arteta is warned, it will be necessary to watch the left side of the Parisian attack. On the Rennes side, the mission was failed and the Frenchman does not forgive.
