Liverpool's Andoni Iraola Ready to Deploy Bradley Barcola Against Ipswich
Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola is ready to throw Bradley Barcola straight into the Premier League fire at Ipswich on Friday night – and he is just as ready to lean on Cody Gakpo after the club shut the door on Manchester City.
Barcola in line for instant Liverpool debut
Liverpool have just dropped a huge statement of intent on the market. Barcola’s arrival from PSG cost an initial £106m, with add-ons pushing the deal close to the £125m club-record fee paid to Newcastle for Alexander Isak last summer. A colossal outlay for a 21-year-old who has barely had a pre-season.
Iraola is not bothered.
“We are very happy with Bradley; it was our priority to sign a very, very good player in those positions,” he said on Thursday. The key for the Spaniard is not just the talent, but the attitude.
“He has also come with the right mentality. I like that he wanted Liverpool a lot. He wanted to come here.
“It’s a good first sign, and being the player he is, he has come with the willingness to help us. He is playing well for us [in training], and if everything goes well in training today, he will definitely be available for us tomorrow.”
Available is one thing. Starting is another. Barcola has trained, but he has not played a single pre-season minute.
Asked whether the Frenchman is ready to go from the off or will be eased in from the bench, Iraola admitted the call is still live.
“I see him in a good place. He has trained for us; indeed, he hasn’t had minutes in pre-season. He has been training, and it’s a decision we have to make. But we have to consider he hasn’t had minutes in pre-season games.”
So the temptation is there. The caution is, too.
Gakpo stays – and stays central to Iraola’s plans
Deadline day at Anfield told two stories on the wings. Barcola came in. Gakpo nearly went.
Manchester City tested Liverpool’s resolve with an £80m bid for the Dutch forward. FSG blocked it. Gakpo then held clear-the-air talks with the ownership, and now Iraola has moved quickly to underline that the 25-year-old remains firmly in his plans, starting with the trip to Portman Road.
“My relationship with Cody has been very honest from the beginning,” Iraola said. “He has played very well for us so far.
“He was always aware of the situation in the market; we were constantly talking, and I hope we can keep him at the same level. He is in a good place physically and mentally, and I’m very happy to pick him.”
No sulking. No exile. Just another attacking option for a coach who suddenly has a different kind of selection headache.
Life after Salah on the right
The elephant in the room is obvious. Liverpool have not brought in a like-for-like replacement for Mohamed Salah on the right wing. Iraola, though, is not losing sleep over positional labels.
“We prefer at the end to have the best players rather than players specifically for that position,” he said.
He has already asked his wide men to adapt.
“I’m used at other teams to demand wingers to play on both sides. We’ve played with Rio and Cody now on the right; probably most of the wingers play on the left, but I’ve seen them good on the right.
“Bradley is very open and can play on the left or the right. At Lyon, he sometimes played on the right. It depends on the match-ups, but I’m happy with the wingers we have, and we are going to be able to cope on the right.”
The fee, though, will follow Barcola into every stadium. Iraola knows it, and he moved quickly to strip away the weight of the price tag.
“We can’t put pressure on the players to perform because of their price because we’ve seen how much players have cost at other teams this summer. Once he is our player, he is our player!”
Iraola chasing first win at tricky Portman Road
Behind all the transfer noise sits a simple reality: Iraola is still waiting for his first victory as Liverpool manager. Two games, two 2-2 draws. Encouraging in parts, frustrating in the end.
Now comes Ipswich away, and he is under no illusions about the challenge.
“Ipswich are a team that won their first game at home. Even the other day, in the first half they were the better team until United got the 2-1 and the game opened up. We have to be ready, give our best,” he warned.
The lack of a win is already biting.
“Definitely. If you don’t win, you are frustrated.
“It’s only two games, but we need to win. This game tomorrow, the first two games weeks are the most difficult, but I’m much more comfortable now the market is closed, and we know who we are. We have to perform and do our job.”
The window is shut. The squad is set. Barcola is through the door, Gakpo is still in red, and Salah’s old flank is up for grabs.
Now Iraola has to turn all that noise into three points.
