A double against Angers on November 9 and nothing since. Praised for his start to the season in the Parisian jersey, Bradley Barcola (22 years old) has clearly been marking time in recent weeks. If the former Olympique Lyonnais striker remains his team’s top scorer, tied with Ousmane Dembélé (10 goals), the number 29 of the reigning French champions is going through a certain crisis of confidence, at a time when Désiré Doué is gaining momentum and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia could quickly settle down in the City of Lights. Sunday evening, at the end of the 17th day of Ligue 1, the French international (11 caps, 2 goals) unfortunately confirmed the current trend.
Author of a generally coherent performance, the 1m82 right-hander nevertheless had the opportunities to put an end to this terrible negative spiral. After a brilliant first inspiration by finding Senny Mayulu with a subtle backheel, Luis Enrique’s protégé was very close to scoring his 11th goal of the season but Gautier Larsonneur decided otherwise by perfectly diverting his curling shot from the right (35th). Clumsy, the native of Lyon then showed bad luck when Benoît Millot, after consulting the VAR, refused his goal for a foul on Benjamin Bouchouari (39th).
More than two months without scoring…
Upon returning from the locker room, the man who sees his contract run until June 2028 continued his business but still lacked as much success. If his numerous breakthroughs will have undermined Dennis Appiah, the Frenchman finally left the field ten minutes from time with a statistical line that was still quite poor (3 duels won out of 9 contested, 0 successful dribbles, 13 lost balls, 2 fouls). Replaced by Warren Zaire-Emery, Barcola thus confirmed his bad period. Less sharp, often caught in the duel and above all lacking in effectiveness in front of goal, the Frenchman was nevertheless largely supported by his coach at the final whistle.
“It’s confidence, more than technique. This is what I try to convey to him. He is sensational, exceptional and the fact that he does not score does not make him any less strong. He has less confidence, it’s true. But he brings to the team what we want in an attacking player. He gives goals, works defensively for the team. He is consistent with the player we went for a year and a half ago. But it’s true that he’s not having his best moment. He will return to his level because he is a great player.admitted the Spanish technician. While waiting to find a Bradley Barcola at the top, PSG can in any case, today, rely on a dazzling Ousmane Dembélé.
