Liverpool winger Bradley Barcola played 77 minutes during France’s 1-0 Nations League victory in Belgium last night.
The 24-year-old started on the left wing for Les Bleus, but struggled to impose himself on the game, aside from one shot in the opening half.
His performance was less influential after the interval, and manager Zinedine Zidane eventually replaced him with Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise, who made the difference with a sublime solo goal.
French media published their player ratings after the game. Ouest-France (page 20) said that Barcola had little impact and lacked the cutting edge in the final third. They gave him a rating of just 4/10.
“His trademark explosive bursts of pace remain devastating, yet the new Reds player lacked a cutting edge in the danger zone,” they wrote.
“He produced a fine, curling shot on target (19th minute) but otherwise had little impact.
“He was replaced by Olise (77th minute), who secured the win for Les Bleus with one of his signature solo runs (88th minute).”
Le Figaro Sport (page 3) acknowledged that Barcola troubled the Belgian defence in the first half and should have had a penalty.
However, they added that the Frenchman had ‘nothing to show’ for it and was ‘less influential’ before being replaced. He was rated 5.5/10.
The publication said: “His pace troubled the Belgian defence, particularly in the first half. He arguably should have been awarded a penalty after being pushed from behind in the opening period.
“Ultimately, however, he had nothing to show for it.
“Less influential after the break, he was replaced in the 77th minute by Michael Olise (unrated), who scored a magnificent goal right at the end – in the 88th minute, to be precise – capping off one of his trademark surging runs.”
Barcola completed all of his passes against Belgium. However, he did not create a chance for his teammates.
He was good with his link-up play but did not provide much in an attacking capacity, aside from his early strike on goal.
Despite this, his performance didn’t warrant a 4/10 rating. Barcola deserved a 6/10 for his overall display and will be keen to impress in the coming games.
Les Blues have two Nations League matches at home to Italy and Belgium before the international break concludes. Barcola could start on the bench against the Azzurri.
Desire Doue was excellent against Belgium and should start out wide alongside Olise, who made the difference off the bench with a late winner for Zidane’s side.
Stats from Sofascore.com.
