Right image: Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs Left image: REUTERS/Manon Cruz
Thierry Henry warned Bradley Barcola that he'd have to deliver soon but the Liverpool star's outing with France on Monday night did little to quiet the negative noise.
Barcola has made a slow start to life at Anfield after joining the Reds in an £123 million deal in the summer. He's without a goal or an assist in five appearances for the Premier League club.
The 24-year-old hasn't fared much better on international duty, going four games without a goal since scoring against England in the World Cup third-round play-off. Tonight, he started on the left of a three-man attack against Belgium but failed to end his goalscoring contribution drought.
Barcola Disappoints in France Win Over Belgium
REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
Zinedine Zidane has for the most part trusted Barcola since succeeding Didier Deschamps as France boss. He made his second start in four games under his new manager against Belgium but didn't take his chance and his replacement Desire Doue got on the scoresheet off the bench in a 4-1 comeback win.
Barcola particularly disappointed in front of goal, wasting a golden opportunity when he raced through on goal and tamely placed his shot straight at Belgian goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt. That was one of his two shots and Zidane gave it until the 72nd minute to bring him off for Paris Saint-Germain's Doue.
The Liverpool winger also lost posession nine times and won just two of six ground duels. He has plenty of competition for that left-wing berth in Zidane's team and he's now coming under scrutiny for club and country just months into his Anfield career.
'People Aren't Going to Wait' - Henry's Warning
REUTERS/Manon Cruz
Barcola had been expected to move the needle for Liverpool and fire Andoni Iraola's men into a potential title race. There were no doubts he'd be taking the left-wing role in the team but Cody Gakpo's form has put him at risk.
Henry assessed Barcola's start to life on Merseyside earlier this week and sympathised with the former PSG star. The Arsenal icon explained that it's "not always easy" coming into a new system and way of playing and higlighted that the player doesn't speak English.
The former France striker also referenced his own Premier League career and how he had to deal with a new enviroment, waiting for a switch which happened and it became "more comfortable." But he acknowledged Barcola's hefty price tag through no fault of his own and that it means he has to click into gear soon.
Henry said (via Metro): "It’s not an easy place to start, and he didn’t ask for his price tag, but it’s on his back. We all know that one-v-one, he is deadly, and he has pace. The only thing he needs to work on is his finishing, but that’s normal. If you see my finishing when I was 19 or 20 compared to the end of my career, it was so different. I became so much more sure about my game."
He added: "With winning the Champions League back-to-back, playing for France, with the price tag and the quality that he has, people are not going to wait for him to become the finished article, so he’s going to have to deliver. There is going to be a level of expectation, and sometimes he is a bit raw in his finishing, but he creates a hell of a lot."
Leny Yoro, France
Leny Yoro, France
Barcola played an important role in PSG's recent success under Luis Enrique, finishing last season with 13 goals and seven assists in 49 games across competitions. He became one of several £100m+ signings made in the top-flight this summer but he has struggled to live up to expectations thus far.