Photo by Paul Faith / AFP via Getty Images
Photo by Paul Faith / AFP via Getty Images
Andoni Iraola during Liverpool vs Spurs
Photo by Steven Halliwell/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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What the Hungarian press said about Dominik Szoboszlai shouldn't surprise Liverpool fans
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Why Liverpool duo Milos Kerkez and Jeremy Jacquet were absent for Hungary and France
What the French media said about 'typical' Bradley Barcola after France's 4-1 win over Belgium
What the French media said about 'typical' Bradley Barcola after France's 4-1 win over Belgium
Photo by Matej Sagan/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by Matej Sagan/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images
Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images
Photo by Sebastian Frej/Getty Images
Photo by Sebastian Frej/Getty Images
Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
Despite a dominant win for the French on paper, the nation’s media weren’t too kind to Barcola, because when he got subbed in the 72nd minute, Belgium were still leading 1-0, before it all turned on its head.
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Bradley Barcola criticised despite France’s 4-1 win over Belgium
It wasn’t what the doctor ordered for Barcola, who was criticised for being ‘fairly quiet’ during the match, before his mates off the bench were deemed to have made a better impact.
What didn’t help Barcola’s case was that PSG star Desire Doue replaced him, equalised within minutes, and then assisted two other goals for Liverpool transfer target Michael Olise.
That’s why French outlet Maxifoot rated the big-money Liverpool signing 3.5 out of ten and said he showed very little to impress Zidane.
Maxifoot: ‘Aside from a few bursts of speed down his flank, the Liverpool winger was fairly quiet. He stood out two or three times in the first half, notably when he lost his one-on-one against goalkeeper Vandevoordt, who came out well.
‘Just before leaving the pitch, his deflected shot grazed the post, but it was already too late in Zinedine Zidane’s mind. Replaced in the 72nd minute by Désiré Doué (not rated), who made a very noticeable impact after coming on and scored a goal.’
The criticism didn’t stop there because Le Journal du Dimanche also went pretty low with their ratings and handed Barcola a 4/10.
Albeit nothing to shout about, Eurosport France and 4-3-3 Foot were slightly higher with their ratings – 5/10 each – for Liverpool’s versatile attacker.
It’s interesting that in a flat first half for the 2018 World Cup champions, Eurosport France thinks that Barcola was the only one to ‘pose a threat’ to the Belgians.
One positive they felt came from Barcola’s game, and it’s something Andoni Iraola will love, and that’s how he ‘covered a lot of ground and provided real support for the hapless Diouf.’
The outlet did add, and this is very important: ‘In short… He deserves credit for making a difference, but it’s not enough.’
Once again, a positive for Barcola and Liverpool supporters, and hopefully, luck will hit, and those numbers will start to rise in the coming months.
However, one thing holding Barcola back is a lack of ruthlessness in the final third, and it was brought up by 4-3-3 Foot in their analysis of the player.
They stated: ‘Some good moments, but still a significant lack of efficiency. Typical Bradley Barcola.’
Hopefully, in the coming weeks and months, Liverpool fans and the rest of the world start to see the real Barcola, because there is a high-quality player in there; that’s for sure.