Bradley Barcola’s Liverpool start has been measured in empty columns so far, but Andoni Iraola insists the French winger’s influence cannot be reduced to goals and assists.
Speaking before Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Linz, scheduled for 18:45, the Liverpool coach backed Barcola and Florian Wirtz after scrutiny over their early returns. Barcola, signed late in the transfer window from Paris Saint-Germain for an estimated €140 million, has played six matches without scoring or supplying an assist.
Iraola said he retained complete faith in both new arrivals. “Bradley and Flo are two players I trust 100%,” he said.
Missed chance masked Barcola’s contribution
The Spanish coach pointed to Sunday’s 3-0 Premier League defeat to Manchester City, arguing that a single finish could have changed the judgement of Barcola’s display.
Lewis Koumas failed to convert an opportunity created by the France international, who has 32 caps. Iraola said that had the chance gone in, Barcola would have been credited with an assist despite producing the same overall performance.
“If Koumas scores the other day, Bradley has an assist,” Iraola explained. “He is a good player, he is playing well and creating a lot. Sometimes there is too much focus on statistics.”
He added that the winger’s performance would not have changed, but the reaction around it would have been different if the final pass had ended in a goal.
Time needed after late arrival
Iraola was also encouraged by Barcola’s work against Manchester City, despite Liverpool’s failure to take their promising situations.
“I was pleased with many things Bradley did the other day,” he said. “We had good situations, but we did not finish them.”
The coach believes the 23-year-old needs matches to develop an understanding with his new team-mates. Barcola was Liverpool’s latest arrival of the window, and Iraola expects his level to rise as those connections become more natural.
“The more he plays, the more he will build relationships with the players around him, and the better he will become,” Iraola said.
