Andoni Iraola Prepares for Premier League Clash with Bradley Barcola
Andoni Iraola is wasting no time.
Liverpool’s new manager is ready to throw £123m signing Bradley Barcola straight into the Premier League fight at Ipswich on Friday night, hailing the French forward’s mentality and hinting that a debut is more a question of “how” than “if”.
Barcola fast-tracked for Reds bow
Liverpool moved aggressively for Barcola on the penultimate day of the window, striking a deal with PSG worth an initial £106m, rising to just under the club-record fee paid to Newcastle for Alexander Isak last summer.
He has barely had a pre-season. No real match rhythm. That does not bother Iraola.
“We are very happy with Bradley; it was our priority to sign a very, very good player in those positions,” he said on Thursday. “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. Iraola admitted that is the call still on his mind.
“I see him in a good place,” he continued. “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.”
Gakpo stays – and still starts
Deadline day at Anfield became a story of two wingers. Barcola came in. Cody Gakpo stayed put.
Manchester City tested Liverpool’s resolve with an £80m offer for the Dutchman, only for FSG to shut the door and keep him on Merseyside. Any tension, Iraola insists, has been handled head-on.
“My relationship with Cody has been very honest from the beginning,” the Spaniard 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.”
That “happy to pick him” line matters. Gakpo is not being parked because of the saga. He remains central to Iraola’s plans, starting with the trip to Portman Road.
Life after Salah on the right
The bigger structural question around Liverpool is obvious: no like-for-like replacement for Mohamed Salah on the right.
Iraola, though, is unflustered. He prefers quality over rigid positional labels and believes his wide players can adapt.
“We prefer at the end to have the best players rather than players specifically for that position,” he said. “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 price tag will follow Barcola wherever he lines up. Iraola is determined that it will not weigh on him inside the dressing room.
“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 Ipswich
Two games, two 2-2 draws. Encouraging in flashes, infuriating on the scoreboard. Iraola does not hide from the frustration.
“Definitely. If you don’t win, you are frustrated,” he admitted. “It’s only two games, but we need to win.”
That search for a first victory under the new regime now runs into an Ipswich side that has already shown it can punch up.
“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 said.
One thing has eased for him: the market is shut, the noise has died down, and the squad is set.
“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.”
Now comes the real test: can a record signing without a pre-season, a winger whose move was blocked, and a new manager still chasing his first win turn all that talk into a statement night at Portman Road?
