Impressive and unyielding in Ligue 1 with 10 goals in 12 matches, Bradley Barcola faces a different challenge in the Champions League. Particularly in the area of finishing, as he has yet to find the net this season. This is a crucial obstacle that the Paris Saint-Germain winger must overcome.
“In football, the result is fair or unfair does not matter; it is the goals scored that dictate the outcome,” Luis Enrique communicated to his team before their clash against Bayern Munich on Tuesday (9:00 p.m.), during the 5th day of the Champions League. Was he specifically targeting Bradley Barcola?
Probably not, because all Paris Saint-Germain players seem to be trembling in front of goal in the Champions League. However, the case of this young 22-year-old winger stands out, having already scored 10 times in Ligue 1, while struggling to reproduce this success at a higher level.
One goal in 2023-2024, none this season.
His record in the most prestigious European competition? No goals this season, with only one last year against Real Sociedad (2-0) in the first leg of the round of 16. “It’s an obstacle that he must overcome,” suggests Loïc Rémy, who played in the Champions League with Lyon, Marseille, Chelsea and Lille, in L’Équipe. “But that’s not a limit, because he has all the attributes to succeed at this level. He is sharp, fast and knows how to finish. But of course, he has to score in this competition so that his team can count on him in difficult times.”
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Kylian Mbappé is gone, and someone needs to take control of the matches. So far, Barcola seems unable to do this. Transparent against Girona (1-0) and rated 3/10 by Maxifoot, he was neutralized throughout the match against Arsenal (0-2) with a rating of 3.5/10, the same rating against PSV (1 -1) while missing two key opportunities. This was followed by another disappointment against Atlético Madrid (1-2) where he received a 4/10, almost generous considering his two failures against Jan Oblak, Madrid’s impressive goalkeeper.
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Rémy’s thoughts.
“The Champions League taught me one thing: when you miss a chance, you quickly realize that it won’t come back as easily as in the championship,” explained Rémy, now a consultant for France TV. “And collectively, PSG does not have as much room for maneuver as in Ligue 1, which is inevitably reflected in the quality of the balls that reach them in the Champions League.” Rare interesting situations, higher level opponents and increased pressure – a good summary of the Champions League.
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However, if Barcola really wants to take this step and become one of the best in the world, it needs to find the solution. “In the Champions League, it’s more complicated,” explained the player himself in the daily Le Parisien less than a month ago. “The defenders are more experienced, and there is often a midfielder who comes to help. (…) It’s more difficult to find me on the pitch. But I have to bring variety: attack the defenders, make one-twos, using the movement of others, making long passes…” And scoring?
In your opinion, will Barcola make the difference against Bayern this Tuesday evening? Don’t hesitate to react and discuss in the “Add a comment” section…
