Bradley Barcola, the 23-year-old Paris Saint-Germain striker, delivered a strong performance on Saturday night in the victory against Le Havre (1-0, Matchday 24 of Ligue 1). Some see him as a long-term solution, but Franck Passi, who knew him as Laurent Blanc’s assistant at Lyon, expressed his reservations to the newspaper Le Parisien.
“Even though he was very good in the number 9 role, I’m not sure Bradley can consistently play as a striker. Unless he plays in a team that only attacks on the counter-attack. He’s a player who thrives in open spaces. If he plays centrally, the demands placed on him will likely make his task difficult.”
There might be some exaggeration here, as Barcola shouldn’t be reduced to just speed and space. Furthermore, possession-based play against a deep-lying defense isn’t solely about passing and dribbling. Having a quick game to destabilize the defense is also an asset.
In this match, we saw that the striker was able to alternate between dropping deep and making runs in behind. He’s also capable of getting shots on goal or providing assists. He’s an option for PSG, especially given coach Luis Enrique’s desire for versatility and unpredictability.
However, we shouldn’t get carried away too quickly or put unnecessary pressure on him. Barcola will need to prove himself in other matches and will likely maintain his profile, which isn’t that of a typical “goalscoring number 9.” Regarding statistics, we should also look at assists, for example. He was close to two in this match, if his teammates had been more clinical.
