Liverpool fans were already hostile before losing 3-0 to Manchester City and the performance from one of their players only further riled up the Kop.
In a match billed as the biggest of the season due to the circumstances surrounding City’s guilty charges, the first half failed to live up to the hype. Chances were few and far between until the second half arrived and with it so too did plenty of drama.
Referee Chris Kavanagh handed Ryan Gravenberch his marching orders for a second bookable offence, which didn’t go down well with fans, given the foul that led to a yellow card looked incredibly tame. That only pushed City on to hit back at their critics on the pitch and Erling Haaland opened the scoring with a superb finish in the 65th minute.
The visitors made the most of their one-man advantage and Jeremy Doku scored a stunner three minutes later. Rayan Cherki put the nail in the coffin with his side’s third 10 minutes later as Iraola’s men capitulated.
Liverpool 0-3 Man City: Barcola’s Worrying Start Continues
The sending off completely changed the game and what was an evenly fought contest turned into a walk in the park for City. For Liverpool, they could well have been in front had they taken their chances and Bradley Barcola stood out as one of their biggest culprits.
Signed from Paris Saint-Germain for £123 million, many expected Barcola to make an instant impact on the left of Iraola’s attack. That hasn’t happened and today’s display summed up a frustrating start to life at Anfield for the French attacker.
Barcola looked indecisive at times, struggling to influence proceedings and Matheus Nunes easily dealt with the 24-year-old. Iraola had been without the likes of Alexander Isak, Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo and today would’ve been a perfect one for the French winger to step up and prove his worth.
The same can be said for Florian Wirtz, who once again did not convince and similarly looked lost. Whether it’s the £100m+ price tag weighing heavily on both players is unclear, but these are two players whom many have regarded as among the best attackers in world football.
Liverpool Fans Fume With ‘Very Poor’ Barcola
Barcola’s disappointing display didn’t go unnoticed by Liverpool fans who have voiced their frustrations with the Frenchman. One fan called him the worst player on the pitch for the hosts: “Barcola has been very poor. Our worst player by a margin. Has had multiple chances to run at Nunes but there’s no conviction in what he’s doing.”
Another was left shocked by his outing: “Barcola man… lost for words.
One supporter wanted more from the former PSG star: “Barcola please bro just give me anything. I’m asking for crumbs at this point.”
Another added: “Bradley Barcola has been very poor in this game.”
One fan gave a lengthy analysis and pointed out his experience: “Barcola has been very disappointing first Half. He has done nothing really. Not a single shot even at goal. You expect more from such an experienced player. Same for Florian. Both so badly needed given our key players out and both disappointing.”
Barcola will be hoping to get fans onside quickly and can do so with a strong showing in Liverpool’s away trip to LASK on Wednesday in the Champions League. Today was his sixth game since joining from PSG, and he’s still without a goal or an assist.
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