REUTERS/Phil Noble
After months of rumours, Bradley Barcola finally joined Liverpool this summer. The Reds paid Paris Saint-Germain a hefty fee to land the winger, which could rise to £123m.
The Frenchman made his first appearance as a substitute in the 2-0 Premier League win over Ipswich Town and drew a largely positive response without having a huge impact on proceedings. New boss Andoni Iraola then handed Barcola his full debut in the Champions League this week as he started against Atletico Madrid.
The Reds fell behind to a Marcos Llorente goal, but were able to turn the game around, winning 2-1 thanks to strikes from Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister. Barcola played 60 minutes, and his outing has got the French press talking back in his homeland.
Bradley Barcola
Bradley Barcola
Barcola's Mixed 60 Minute Champions League Display
REUTERS/Phil Noble
Per SofaScore, the 24-year-old didn't create much with zero key passes and 0.01 expected assists. He also had just one cross, which was unsuccessful. He also failed to complete any dribbles from his 23 touches.
He did, however, pose a much more direct threat to goal, with 0.76 expected goals generated from three shots, two of which were off target. Despite having three big chances, though, he failed to hit the back of the net.
In particular, Barcola looked set to score when put through on goal by Florian Wirtz, but the Frenchman failed to hit the target, putting his low effort just wide of the post. He then came off after an hour with an injury, which has since been downplayed as cramp.
French Press Slam Barcola's Finishing
The French media have not held back with a series of rather damning takes on Barcola's full debut in the Champions League. For example, Foot Mercato stated:
"That's what you call a disappointing debut. Barcola's first start for Liverpool didn't exactly inspire confidence.
"Deployed on the right flank by his manager Iraola, the former PSG player had a tough time against Atletico. Offensively, he displayed his main weakness: a lack of efficiency."
The report added: "He created three chances. A weak shot from a tight angle on the first, a deflected shot on the second and most importantly, a missed one-on-one on the last.
"It's this last one that Liverpool fans and probably English pundits will remember, as they were eager to see the £123m signing. Perfectly played through by Florian Wirtz, the Frenchman's shot was too wide and missed the target."
L'Equipe were a little kinder, but still called out his poor finishing on the night: "He notably made a fine defensive recovery against Alex Baena. However, he lacked composure in the final third, missing three clear-cut chances before leaving the pitch clutching his left calf."
Finally, RFI branded the winger "clumsy" when given the chance to score, explaining:
"It was a spicy Champions League match where Barcola, starting for the Reds, oscillated between promise and clumsiness. The former Parisian failed in his quest for a goal.
"He had two shots saved by Jan Oblak and a one-on-one wasted against the Slovenian goalkeeper with a shot that went too wide. He did not have the opportunity to make up for it, unfortunately, as he had to leave the pitch at the hour mark."