Bradley Barcola’s poor start at Liverpool has become a concern in France, after his poor performance in the Premier League side’s defeat to Manchester City at the weekend.
The forward had represented France at the World Cup, who lost the third-place playoff to England. This meant he didn’t have a full pre-season with Paris Saint-German.
Luis Enrique left him out of his core plans this season. Liverpool took advantage of this and pursued the 24-year-old for several weeks before completing his signing for €125m plus €20m bonuses on August 31st.
Barcola spent three years at PSG, managing 39 goals and 37 assists from 159 matches. He won two Champions League, two UEFA Super Cup and every domestic competition with the Paris club.
Difficult start to Liverpool career
The attacker is yet to showcase his qualities at Anfield. He played 336 minutes from six matches and is yet to score or assist for the Reds.
In the Premier League, Bradley Barco has a xG of 0.3 and xA of 0.14. He failed to create a big chance and missed one so far. The drop in form has seen him compared to Fiorentina summer signing Alieu Njie.
Journalist Daniel Riolo is critical of the France international’s display against Manchester City, where he was on the pitch for 88 minutes. He made his feelings clear to RMC Sport‘s After Foot.
He said: “Having a €145m transfer fee very often forces the coach to play you and take responsibility. On Sunday, I saw Bambi (Barcola) again. He was dribbling on his tiptoes, barely pushing the ball.”
Changes at Liverpool impacting Barcola
The Merseyside club parted ways with Arne Slot and appointed Andoni Iraola as their new manager in the summer. With two wins after six league matches, Liverpool are ninth in the table.
Commentator Walid Acherchour was also part of After Foot’s panel. He partly pins the blame on the Anfield club for Bradley Barcola’s difficult start.
“I’m worried, but he wanted this life: to break free from Luis Enrique’s playing system,” Acherchour explained.
“It requires a major adjustment. At Liverpool, he’s in a team struggling with a change of coach and a change in style of play. He’ll have to adapt to the Premier League, which is very tough.”
“When you compare it to (Hugo) Ekitiké’s start last year [season], it’s like two completely different worlds. He’ll have to dig deep in the final third. If they have their full squad, I don’t know if he [Barcola] will start.”
The Frenchman shouldn’t give attention to the criticism aimed towards him and focus on showcasing his qualities. He may take some time to shine considering the lack of a full pre-season with Liverpool.
