After a mixed first outing against Atlético in the Champions League, Bradley Barcola undoubtedly hoped to take advantage of his first start in the Premier League to truly launch his adventure in Liverpool. But against Fulham, the former PSG player once again had a mixed encounter. The Reds were held to a draw (0-0), already conceding their third draw of the season in just four days, while the Frenchman is still struggling to find his rhythm.
Aligned for 72 minutes, Barcola did not manage to exert enough influence on the match. His statistics illustrate a delicate performance: only one shot, off target, no successful dribble out of two attempts, no successful cross out of two attempts, 50% of duels won, ten lost balls and only 32 balls touched. A mixed copy for the French winger, who had already alternated between good and bad a few days earlier against Atlético. For Liverpool as for Barcola, this start to the season is therefore far from ideal.
A rhythm to find
At a press conference, Andoni Iraola, however, called for patience with his new player despite the weight of his XXL transfer. The technician notably mentioned a lack of physical freshness, which does not only concern the former Parisian. “Bradley is a player that we prepare physically with matches, and these matches will allow him to achieve the physical shape we are looking for. But it’s not just Bradley, we lack freshness. I only remember one clear chance for Fulham and we kept our structure, but offensively we need to do a lot better. »
Iraola also insisted on the versatility of Barcola, used on the right against Atlético before returning to his left lane against Fulham. “I think I’ve said it a lot of times, we have four wingers and probably, before the season, everyone would have said we had more left wingers than right wingers because they played there more. All wingers will play on the right and left, depending on the confrontations, where we think they will be more dangerous, sometimes defensive requirements, what we feel and what we analyze. I think Bradley, like everyone else, all four of them, have played both sides before and it will be like that all season. » Barcola will therefore have to quickly gain momentum to win in a Liverpool attack which is still finding its rhythm. Because in the English press, we are already talking about the price of his transfer…
