Liverpool's Andoni Iraola Addresses Bradley Barcola Injury Concerns
Andoni Iraola moved quickly to calm any early-season nerves around Bradley Barcola after Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid at Anfield, insisting the club’s £106million summer signing was only suffering from cramp.
The French winger, whose fee could eventually rise to £123m, pulled up just before the hour in Wednesday night’s Champions League clash, clutching his left calf as he received treatment on the pitch. He looked uncomfortable, then walked off to be replaced by Jeremie Frimpong, sparking concern among home fans who had just watched their new star stretch Atletico with his pace.
Iraola, though, was adamant there is no serious problem.
“It’s just cramps, especially with Bradley,” the Liverpool manager said. “We are kind of rushing him as we haven’t had him in pre-season.”
It was Barcola’s first start for the club after a 26‑minute Premier League debut off the bench against Ipswich Town last Friday. His night had already swung from frustration to relief before the substitution.
Minutes before going down, he had the chance to put Liverpool in front. Slipped clean through by a perfectly weighted pass from Florian Wirtz, Barcola surged away from the Atletico back line, opened his body… and dragged his finish wide of the far post. Anfield groaned. Barcola buried his head for a moment, knowing how big the chance was.
The miss did not haunt Liverpool for long.
Alexis Mac Allister, who recently revealed the club do not plan to offer him a new contract, stepped up with a strike of real authority. Picking up the ball just outside the area, the Argentine midfielder unleashed a vicious left-footed drive that flew beyond Jan Oblak and into the net, turning the game on its head and sending the Kop into full voice.
That goal completed the turnaround after Atletico’s familiar tormentor had struck again.
Marcos Llorente opened the scoring in the 17th minute, ghosting past Milos Kerkez on Liverpool’s left and drilling a low shot past Alisson. It was his tenth goal in the Champions League. Astonishingly, half of those have come against Liverpool, all of them at Anfield. Different seasons, different managers, same stadium, same punishment.
Liverpool needed time to settle. They found their way back into the game five minutes before the break, and the equaliser carried a touch of class.
Dominik Szoboszlai applied the finish, stroking the ball past Oblak, but much of the acclaim went to Ronald Araujo. The defender stepped forward and, with a deft flick through an Atletico player’s legs, threaded the ball perfectly into Szoboszlai’s path. One nutmeg, one cool finish, and Liverpool were level at 1-1.
The second half belonged to Iraola’s side in terms of territory and intent. They pushed Atletico back, hunted in packs, and looked to have killed the contest late on.
Frimpong thought he had added Liverpool’s third just before stoppage time, reacting quickest to a rebound and turning the ball in from close range. Anfield roared again, but the celebrations were cut short almost immediately. The assistant’s flag went up, and replays confirmed the offside call. No second for Frimpong, no extra cushion for Liverpool.
Even without that insurance goal, the hosts held firm to bank three important points and, just as crucially, avoid an early injury scare to their record signing.
Next up, Liverpool host Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday before turning their attention back to Europe with a trip to Austrian side LASK on October 14. For Barcola, the question now is simple: how quickly can he turn those explosive runs into the kind of ruthless finishing that justifies that enormous price tag?
