Liverpool: Pas de blessure mais des crampes pour Barcola, à neuf jours de la liste de Zidane

Liverpool's Bradley Barcola, who started against Atlético (2-1) in the Champions League on Wednesday, caused concern among supporters when he was substituted just before the hour mark. However, his coach was very reassuring after the match.

Liverpool's suffocating press overcame Atlético (2-1) in a heated Champions League fixture on Wednesday, where Bradley Barcola, a starter for the Reds, showed flashes of promise, moments of clumsiness, and a physical setback. The 24-year-old French attacker was propelled into the starting lineup five days after his debut for the club, in a team missing Cody Gakpo, who was sidelined with a groin issue and rested.

Just Cramps

The former PSG player delighted his new audience with some of his signature bursts of speed, accurate passes, especially on counter-attacks, and also demonstrated early on his ability to make effective defensive runs deep into his own penalty area (8th minute). However, he was unsuccessful in his quest for a goal, with two shots saved by Jan Oblak (15th, 40th minutes) and a missed one-on-one opportunity against the Slovenian goalkeeper, shooting too wide (49th minute).

He did not get the chance to redeem himself as a physical issue stopped him in his tracks before the hour mark. The Frenchman, visibly affected in his calf, called for the medical staff and was substituted, without showing too much concern, nine days before Zinedine Zidane's first squad announcement. After the match, his new coach, Andoni Iraola, was reassuring: "It was just cramps."

In north-west England, the clash lived up to expectations. Anfield immediately appreciated the attacking principles of new coach Andoni Iraola, a high press, and direct play forward, and also observed the associated weaknesses: a midfield sometimes exposed, which opponents could exploit. This Achilles' heel was particularly noticeable during the opening goal.

Julian Alvarez, in his first start of the season for Atlético, pierced through the midfield with little resistance and played a through ball to Marcos Llorente, who finished calmly (17th minute, 0-1). The right-back is clearly enjoying Anfield, as he has scored half of his Champions League goals (five out of ten) in the iconic English stadium. Liverpool's defense trembled again, for the same reasons, from a long-range shot by Alvarez that Alisson deflected with a fine save (27th minute).

However, the home side tightened up defensively after halftime and were rewarded with the equalizer. Left-back Milos Kerkez, far from his goal, snatched the ball from an opponent's feet and passed it to Barcola, whose shot was saved by Oblak. The action continued, Ronald Araujo unleashed a delightful backheel pass for Dominik Szoboszlai, who finished with composure (40th minute, 1-1). The Reds never truly let up, and the Rojiblancos' defense conceded a second goal to a powerful strike from Alexis Mac Allister (50th minute, 2-1).