Andoni Iraola shares how close Bradley Barcola is to full fitness after Liverpool debut vs Ipswich
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Bradley Barcola is up and running at Liverpool after a half-hour cameo during the 2-0 win over Ipswich Town on Friday.The Reds finally picked up their first win of the Premier League campaign thanks to a quickfire early double from Alexander Isak, with Barcola‘s appearance from the bench the cherry on top of a good night for Andoni Iraola.The Basque does not need to wait long for his next chance to win again with Liverpool, as the Reds begin their Champions League campaign with an Anfield clash against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. What did you think of Bradley Barcola’s Liverpool debut against Ipswich?
The Frenchman could get his first start against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday Photo Credit: Getty Images/Liverpool FC Liverpool fans may have to be patient with BarcolaThough he was on the pitch for a good chunk of Friday’s game, Liverpool could not get the ball to Barcola as much as they might have liked. Nevertheless, he still looked sharp in what he did see of the game.Having not played at all in pre-season, the 24-year-old did not look to be lacking in match fitness, but when asked about Barcola during his post-match press conference, Iraola suggested that he may not be thrown in to start matches straight away.“I think it’s 30 minutes that are going to be good for his build-up, his fitness and we will continue,” he said.
“Now we play a lot of games so he will have the chance to play more.”READ MORE: Liverpool player ratings vs Ipswich as Alexander Isak double outshines Bradley Barcola’s debutPhoto by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images“He hasn’t played any pre-season minutes,” Iraola continued when asked if Liverpool fans will have to be patient with their big-money new signing. “I think he is still in a good place, I don’t think he will need something like a very special build-up, but we have to be aware that he hasn’t played in a while and also that the demands of the games are very different from training, so we have to consider this, yes.”Join Our NewsletterReceive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox