Liverpool winger Bradley Barcola has subtly critiqued manager Andoni Iraola's tactics, suggesting the team isn't controlling matches sufficiently and resorts too readily to long passes.
Reflecting on the recent 1-0 home defeat to Arsenal, Barcola expressed that Liverpool could have performed better and found themselves "resorting to long balls too easily." The French international, who joined Liverpool from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, acknowledged his own need to improve individual performances but also pointed to the team's overall tactical approach.
In a recent interview with Sky Sports, Barcola touched on his adaptation to Liverpool and the pressure of succeeding Mohamed Salah. However, his most notable comments focused on tactics, which observers might interpret as a jab at Iraola.
“I think we should have done better in a game like this. We had the chances to score, even to win the match,” Barcola stated regarding the Arsenal match. “I think we need to work on being able to control the game more and play more football. Often, when we’re in a game like this, we resort to long balls. But in my opinion, we should try to keep the ball on the ground more, because we have players with the quality to do that.”
He added, “We were really disappointed after the game but we know what we have to do better at. We’re not going to give up. We know that other teams will drop points. So it’s down to us to remain consistent until the end of the season.”
Liverpool faces a challenging upcoming schedule, with an away fixture against Fenerbahce in the Champions League tonight, followed by an away Premier League match against Crystal Palace on Sunday.
