Andoni Iraola is lacking a true right winger on his Liverpool roster, but the Spaniard has enough exciting ingredients to give Reds fans exactly what they wanted last season
Bradley Barcola made his Liverpool debut against Ipswich.
Bradley Barcola made his Liverpool debut against Ipswich.(Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
The moment where Liverpool fields each of its three £100M-plus attackers at the same time had to wait, but against Ipswich on Friday, there was the first glimpse of what the new era under Andoni Iraola might truly look like.
Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo were sensational in the first half, while Florian Wirtz looked brighter. Victor Munoz, in spells at least, was electric, and Bradley Barcola set a new speed record in his short cameo off the bench.
Rio Ngumoha was an unused substitute and while Liverpool clearly lacks a left-footer among the group — or at least someone whose best role is definitely from the right-hand side — this was an exciting preview of what should be to come.
Arne Slot bemoaned the lack of genuine quality in wide areas all season long last term, and rightly so. Now, though, even if it is not yet a perfectly balanced attacking roster, there is pace and dribbling ability in spades.
New boy Barcola was only able to offer a limited sample of what he can provide, and Iraola admitted that it might take some time for his teammates to adjust to having him flying forward down the left.
Wirtz, for instance, could have set him free down the flank at one stage, but he couldn't find the pass under pressure. There will be plenty of time for working on that understanding in the weeks that follow.
IPSWICH, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 04: Bradley Barcola of Liverpool runs off the ball during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Ipswich Town and Liverpool FC at Portman Road on September 04, 2026 in Ipswich, England. (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Bradley Barcola made his debut for Liverpool against Ipswich(Image: Getty Images)
The mere prospect of Isak, Barcola and Wirtz being in the same team, however, is enthralling.
"Barcola will certainly excite the fans," Sky Sports pundit Alan Smith, speaking on behalf of Best Betting Sites, told Liverpool.com this week.
"PSG has got Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on that left-hand side, who played mostly in the Champions League, and Barcola's come off the bench, which is a different thing altogether from starting games. So there's pressure on him, the Liverpool fans would be expecting big things, but clearly he's a talented boy."
It is important that Barcola does not simply arrive as a savior, too. Last year, with Gakpo struggling for form and Mohamed Salah having lost the yard of pace required to excel in the Premier League, Ngumoha was put forward as the obvious man to come in.
At 17, though, that was simply unrealistic. Barcola, in contrast, is six or so years older, and he comes into a team that does not necessarily need him, but will clearly benefit from having his world-class potential to call upon.
Content Image
Content Image
There remains work to be done to fully convince that the balance of the team can be right with four forwards on the field and only two midfielders sitting in front of the back four, especially in games that are more challenging than Ipswich, and when Liverpool doesn't go two goals ahead so early on.
But for too much of last season, Reds fans had little to get excited about. The chants of Barcola's name before he was introduced at Portman Road proved just how much anticipation there is for what he should be able to deliver.
Alongside Isak, Wirtz, the rest — and, eventually, a naturally right-sided forward — Liverpool has a mouthwatering attack brewing. For the sums spent, that should be a given, of course, but even without one piece of his attacking jigsaw, Iraola can have no real complaints about the quality of his ingredients.
Liverpool may yet need to sign a holding midfielder, and Ronald Araujo might be a sensible, more cautious option at full-back over Jeremie Frimpong in an attempt to balance the team. Barcola's arrival, though, is a guarantee of excitement, and after last season, boy did Reds fans need that.