Iraola Calms Bradley Barcola Injury Fears After Liverpool Beat Atletico Madrid 2-1
Liverpool got the result they wanted against Atletico Madrid, and Andoni Iraola moved quickly to shut down the only real concern from the night, Bradley Barcola’s early exit.
The £123million winger was making his full debut after arriving from Paris Saint-Germain and showed enough in his hour at Anfield to underline why Liverpool moved so aggressively for him. Then he went off looking uncomfortable, which naturally raised questions. Iraola’s response was direct and clear. “We still need to train. We train this afternoon,” he said. “Barcola was just cramps. We have to evaluate how he is today, but there is no injury. I think he should be available if everything goes normal.
“Cody we will see. We will try today and see if he is ready for tomorrow or if we need to wait until the next one.”
That matters ahead of Fulham. Barcola fitness and Cody Gakpo’s condition are now the two issues to monitor, although only one appears serious enough to even discuss, and even that has already been downgraded.
Photo: IMAGO
Barcola fitness latest after full debut
Barcola started on the right, with Rio Ngumoha on the left as Gakpo missed out because of tightness in his hip adductor. When Barcola came off on 60 minutes, Victor Munoz replaced him. Jeremie Frimpong was also introduced, taking Ngumoha’s place, with Liverpool reshuffling their front line.
Frimpong moved to the right, Munoz operated from the left, and Alexander Isak led the attack through the middle. It was practical, not dramatic, and it worked.
Liverpool comeback gives Iraola useful answers
Atletico had gone ahead through Marcos Llorente, and Liverpool responded properly. Dominik Szoboszlai levelled the game before Alexis Mac Allister scored five minutes after the break to seal a 2-1 win.
The bigger point was the shape of the performance. Liverpool recovered, adjusted, and managed the game without panic. Iraola will take that, and he will take the update on Barcola too. Cramp is manageable. A muscle injury would have been a problem.
For now, Liverpool head into the Fulham game expecting Barcola to be available, and that is the headline that counts.
