Liverpool pulled out a 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night, but the big story after the final whistle revolved around a scare for new signing Bradley Barcola. The Reds’ £106m man, making his full debut after joining from Paris Saint-Germain at the end of August, went down early in the second half looking seriously concerned about his calf, and for a moment, fans probably held their breath.
A Pricey Debut Cut Short By Worry
Barcola came into the starting XI for the first time, a huge moment for the 24-year-old winger. But just minutes into the second half, he was on the ground, pointing to his calf. It looked worrying, a real gut punch for a player just getting his full debut underway. Sky Sports reporter Vinny O’Connor even called it a ‘worry’ for Barcola and the team, seeing him in clear discomfort. Thankfully, he did manage to get himself up and walk off the pitch, which was a relief to see.
Iraola Calms the Storm After Barcola Scare
Speaking to TNT Sports immediately after the match, Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola wasted no time in calming those injury fears. The Basque coach downplayed any serious body blow for the winger. “It was just cramps, especially with Bradley,” Iraola explained via Sky Sports, adding, “We are rushing him but we decided today to ask him to give everything he had.” That quote tells you everything: they knew they were pushing him. Barcola hadn’t played a match since the World Cup in mid-July before getting 26 minutes off the bench against Ipswich last Friday. Cody Gakpo’s absence might have pushed Barcola into the start, but getting just under an hour of play was likely the plan all along to manage his fitness. He even forced a couple of good saves from Jan Oblak, though he’ll definitely be kicking himself for that glaring miss when played through on goal early in the second half.
Ultimately, it seems Barcola’s substitution was all about managing his fitness, not a serious injury. Iraola wasn’t worried after the game, and that’s huge. Hopefully, he’ll be passed fit and ready to go when Liverpool faces Fulham on Saturday.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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