He was the surprise of the Blues’ list for Euro 2024 in Germany. Five selections later, Didier Deschamps has renewed his confidence in him and he could even line him up from the start this Friday against Italy (8:45 p.m.), at the Parc des Princes, in the Nations League. Author of an excellent start to the season with PSG, which has not escaped the tricolor staff, Bradley Barcola is taking on a new dimension in recent weeks.
Having scored in the opening game of the championship against Le Havre (4-1), he did it again with a double against Montpellier (6-0), before scoring again in the victory in Lille (3-1). “He was with us (at the Euro), he showed great things and had a very good start to the season,” Deschamps stressed this week in a press conference. “Obviously, his positioning is on the left too. That’s why I took him to the Euro. He’s a young player, he still has some levels to reach, but to say ‘unshakeable’ is to say the coach is to be tempered about the former Lyon player, who celebrated his 22nd birthday on Monday.
With Mbappé in the centre and Dembélé on the right?
Barcola could however quickly become essential in the national team, as is (already) the case with his club for the last three matches with his four goals scored, as many as in 25 matches last season in Ligue 1. A statistic which proves that he has reached a new level as his childhood friend at Lyon Castello Lukeba, silver medallist at the last Olympic Games in Paris, points out: “I’m not surprised. He’s someone who is mentally strong and a hard worker. In recent months, he has taken on an enormous dimension, whether at PSG or as we saw in his incredible start to the season, he is decisive. Now, I think that he himself must have realized that he was reaching a new level.”
Against Italy, the Blues’ attack could be composed of Barcola on the left, Kylian Mbappé in the centre and Ousmane Dembélé on the right. These three worked together during the season behind closed doors this Wednesday at Clairefontaine even if Deschamps also used the new kid Michael Olise in the attacking right corridor, like Monday evening. Note that the 23 Blues trained normally. Brice Samba and Jonathan Clauss, rested Tuesday evening, were present.
- RMC Sport
