Bradley Barcola's Liverpool Start Ends in Cramp Scare
Bradley Barcola’s first Liverpool start ended with a scare, but Andoni Iraola moved quickly to calm the nerves around Anfield.
The £106million summer signing, whose fee could rise to £123m, limped off in the second half of Liverpool’s 2-1 Champions League win over Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night, clutching his left calf and grimacing as he received treatment. For a few moments, the stadium held its breath.
Then came the diagnosis: cramp.
Iraola plays down Barcola fears
Barcola went down just before the hour mark, clearly in discomfort as he rubbed his calf. Medical staff checked him over, and Iraola opted not to take any risks, sending on Jeremie Frimpong in his place.
After the game, the Liverpool manager was unequivocal.
"It's just cramps, especially with Bradley," Iraola said. "We are kind of rushing him as we haven't had him in pre-season."
No muscle tear. No long lay-off. Just the inevitable strain on a player being fast-tracked into a high-intensity side.
This was Barcola’s first start for Liverpool, coming only days after his Premier League debut – a 26-minute cameo off the bench against Ipswich Town last Friday. The step up in rhythm told on his legs, not on his talent.
A huge miss, then a huge relief
Before he went down, Barcola had already lived through the full emotional swing of a big European night.
Minutes earlier, he had the chance to put Liverpool in front. Florian Wirtz sliced Atletico open with a perfectly weighted through-ball, Barcola burst clear, the Kop rose… and the shot went wide of the far post. A golden opportunity, squandered.
He didn’t have to carry that miss for long.
Alexis Mac Allister took responsibility instead, unleashing a vicious left-footed strike from just outside the box that ripped into the net and gave Liverpool the lead. The Argentine, who recently confirmed the club do not plan to offer him a new contract, answered the uncertainty around his future with the most emphatic response available: a goal that shook Anfield.
Llorente’s Anfield habit
Liverpool had needed that moment of brilliance. Atletico struck first.
On 17 minutes, Marcos Llorente drifted past Milos Kerkez and drilled a low, driven effort beyond Alisson. It was a familiar sight. The midfielder has now scored ten goals in the Champions League; astonishingly, five of them have come against Liverpool, all at Anfield. Different nights, same tormentor.
The home side laboured to find a response. The equaliser finally arrived on 40 minutes, and it carried a touch of class that shifted the mood inside the ground.
Dominik Szoboszlai got the goal, stroking the ball past Jan Oblak, but much of the acclaim went to Ronald Araujo. The defender produced a deft flick through an Atletico player’s legs, threading the ball straight into Szoboszlai’s path. One nutmeg, one finish, and Liverpool were level.
Late drama and a narrow escape
With the game stretched and Atletico chasing, Liverpool pushed for daylight.
Frimpong, on for the cramping Barcola, thought he had settled it just before second-half stoppage time. He reacted quickest to a rebound and stabbed the ball home from close range, wheeling away in celebration as Anfield roared.
The flag cut that roar short. The goal was immediately ruled out for offside, and replays backed up the on-field call. No second for Liverpool, no first Anfield goal for Frimpong – just a reminder of how fine the margins remain at this level.
The Reds held on, though, banking three important points and, just as significantly, avoiding a major injury blow to their record signing.
Next up, Liverpool host Fulham on Saturday, before turning their attention back to Europe with a trip to Austrian side LASK on October 14. Barcola’s legs will be watched closely between now and then – but for Iraola and the home crowd, the fear of a nightmare start has already been eased.
