Bradley Barcola made his Liverpool debut on Friday night, coming off the bench in a 2-0 victory over Ipswich Town. Club icon Jamie Carragher’s brief social-media post about the new signing quickly went viral.
The result was effectively settled inside nine minutes. Alexander Isak scored twice early, silencing the home crowd and putting the Reds in complete control. The second half passed with little incident, but Andoni Iraola will be satisfied with the three points — his first win as Liverpool manager after drawing the opening two Premier League games of the season.
It was also a landmark night for the club as former Paris Saint-Germain winger Barcola made his first appearance.
Carragher’s verdict on Barcola and Gakpo
Barcola’s debut was relatively quiet. Signed from PSG for a fee that could rise to £123m, the Frenchman came on for Victor Munoz in the 64th minute and managed just 12 touches (per SofaScore). He looked sharp and showed clear pace but recorded no shots or successful dribbles, though he did produce one key pass.
Amid that understated introduction, Carragher posted a 14-word message that spread rapidly:
“Barcola is going to struggle to get a game with this version of Gakpo.”
Cody Gakpo, not Barcola, was the standout attacker. The Dutchman had been linked with Manchester City and Tottenham during the summer but stayed at Anfield. He contributed a goal and an assist in each of Liverpool’s first two matches and was instrumental in the early stages against Ipswich, setting up both of Isak’s goals.
Carragher’s latest praise for Gakpo marks a clear shift. Before the transfer window closed he had suggested Liverpool should sell the Dutchman for £80-85m to fund a right-winger and improve squad balance, arguing that Barcola’s arrival would reduce Gakpo to a squad role. He has since changed his tune.
Iraola’s assessment
Speaking after the match, Iraola was positive about Barcola’s first outing: “He had good minutes, a nice pass on a counter. He’s confident on the ball as always. He’s not had competitive minutes since the World Cup so we have to be careful.”
The Spaniard confirmed he was tempted to start the Frenchman but held back because Barcola had not played any pre-season minutes, despite looking sharp in training.
Liverpool’s next fixture is a Champions League home match against Atlético Madrid.
