When a player discovers a new country and therefore a new championship, he very often needs an adaptation phase. The concern for coaches is whether this period will last long or not. Especially when the player in question cost a fortune. Liverpool do not want to rush Bradley Barcola, but expectations for the 24-year-old French winger are inevitably high due to the €145m (including bonus) invested by the Reds in him this summer. For the moment, the former Paris Saint-Germain resident is running out of fuel. Appearing five times this season, in all competitions, Barcola has not delivered a single assist or scored a goal. A sluggish start which did not surprise a certain Frenchy who had become an idol in England, Thierry Henry.
“It depends, because we often forget that tactics, the team and the way of playing are important. We see that everyone who integrates into Luis Enrique’s system shines: Kvaratskhelia, DembĂ©lĂ©, DouĂ©, Barcola. It’s not always easy when you’re used to a certain system and a certain way of playing, where everyone knows what’s happening at all times. He has just arrived at Liverpool, he doesn’t speak English, and the style of play is different, with a different intensity in the league. (…) It’s not an easy environment to start in, and even if he didn’t ask for his price, it’s written on his back. We all know that one on one, he is formidable, and that he is fast. The only thing he needs to work on is his finishing, but that’s normal. If you compare my finish at 19 or 20 to where I finished at the end of my career, it was very different.”declared the former Gunner on September 30.
“It doesn’t bother me that he misses opportunities”
Since then, Barcola has not been in better spirits with the French team. At a time when the English championship is about to resume its rights with a match at the top between Manchester City and Liverpool, Andoni Iraola took advantage of a new question about his summer recruit to explain his expectations. “I don’t think he’s going through a bad patch. The problem with wingers is that if they don’t score, it’s considered that they haven’t played well, but you have to look at the game as a whole. In the first match against AtlĂ©tico de Madrid, he missed two or three fairly clear chances. I don’t mind him missing opportunities. It matters to me, but I want him to realize it. He has been in the national team and had some good chances to score without success, but I want him to be present on these kinds of occasions.he indicated, before concluding.
“He is a key player for us, he can play in any position in attack. He probably played more as a left winger, but he also played a bit as a center forward, and even more as a right winger. He can therefore cover three positions in attack and he is an extremely valuable player for us. » At a time when Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak are out for the clash of the 6th day of the Premier League between the Reds and Manchester City, Barcola could be temporarily released from his left side in order to compensate for these two hard blows. It remains to be seen whether he will take the opportunity to put an end to his drought at the best possible time for his trainer.
