finally confident, Bradley Barcola makes us forget his sluggish debut in the capital

Scorer in the Parisians’ victory in Lens, the 21-year-old Espoirs international had his benchmark match with his new team on Sunday.

A shock which perhaps marks the transition to the next level. Once again starting on the left side of the Parisian offensive trident, Bradley Barcola was decisive against Lens, Sunday January 14, to allow his team to win and fly to the top of Ligue 1 (2-0 ). Found in depth by Kylian Mbappé, number 29 opened the scoring for Bollaert with a subtle dive to deceive Brice Samba.

A way of asserting itself a little more as the option favored by Luis Enrique, while he seems to have relegated Gonçalo Ramos and Randal Kolo Muani to the bench. Since December 9, he has not left the capital club’s eleven, whether in the championship or during the decisive match in the Champions League in Dortmund. A period during which he gained strength, gaining consistency throughout the meetings.

Gradit fell for it

Beyond his goal – the second in Parisian colors after the one scored against Nantes – the winger also stood out with his elimination skills (70% of successful dribbles) against Lens. It was also he who caused the exclusion of Jonathan Gradit in added time of the first period, at the end of an arabesque number near the artesian surface. While PSG moved in transition, they then proved valuable with their speed, while not skimping on the defensive returns conceded despite the numerical superiority. “When we signed him, we knew he had a lot of qualities, that he could dribble, that he was fast and that he was very young. Today, he was in the right mood, he was unstoppable”greeted Luis Enrique at the microphone of Prime Video after the meeting.

“I have more and more confidence from the coach and my teammates, so I can only be more comfortable and play better”timidly added the principal concerned, specifying that he could still progress in “reading the game and losing balls”. His performance nevertheless reassured the French champions about their ability to attack from the left flank, while the other wing, often preferential in the transmission schemes, was amputated for a few weeks by the Moroccan Achraf Hakimi, who left for the CAN .

Progression at great speed

However, the international Espoirs was not spared in the fall. Severely criticized after PSG’s draw against Newcastle (1-1) during which he missed multiple opportunities, Bradley Barcola did not seem to meet the prerequisites to change his status. Except maybe for his trainer. “It’s part of the learning process. I don’t agree with those who criticize Barcola. It’s a game of mistakes. The most important thing is to dare to shoot. Bravo to Bradley Barcola, c “It’s wonderful to have him on the team”, had also released the Spaniard to come to his aid, before replacing Kylian Mbappé at the forefront, thus freeing up a place for him on the wing.

A chance that the 21-year-old Frenchman was able to seize, like a year ago when he was only an alternative to Olympique Lyonnais. It was only after the departure of Karl Toko Ekambi that he managed to get a little playing time, finally winning and tempting PSG at the end of six months of high performance at the start of 2023 (7 goals including one at the Parc des Princes and 10 assists). Exactly one month before the round of 16 first leg of the Champions League against Real Sociedad, Bradley Barcola gives the sensation of having once again succeeded in reaching a milestone.