Liverpool's Anxious Wait on Barcola Ahead of Brighton Clash
Liverpool are braced for an anxious wait over star winger Barcola after the Frenchman was conspicuously absent from an open training session ahead of Sunday’s clash with Brighton at Anfield.
The £123million summer signing from Paris Saint-Germain, ever-present in the Premier League since his arrival, was one of four senior players not seen during the workout televised by Sky Sports on Thursday. Reports indicate he was instead put through an individual programme away from the main group, a precaution that will sharpen focus on Andoni Iraola’s pre-match press conference on Friday, when the head coach is expected to deliver a fitness update.
If Barcola is missing, it changes the complexion of Liverpool’s attack. If he’s available, he starts. Simple as that.
Wide-open flanks, straightforward centre
The uncertainty over Barcola comes at a time when competition for the wide positions is already fierce. Rio Ngumoha and Cody Gakpo both caught the eye in midweek, forcing their way into Iraola’s thoughts. The manager suddenly has a genuine selection puzzle on the flanks, with form, freshness and fitness all pulling in different directions.
Through the middle, though, the picture is clearer. Alexander Isak for Lewis Koumas looks close to a formality. Isak’s pedigree and presence give Liverpool a focal point that Koumas, for all his promise, cannot yet consistently provide at this level. It is the kind of decision that almost makes itself in a week where other calls are far less straightforward.
Barcola’s situation muddies everything. A knock forced him out on Tuesday night, and while the club have kept details tight, the question is obvious: can he recover in time for Brighton on Sunday afternoon, the second assignment in a demanding four-game home stretch across three competitions?
Heavy traffic at Anfield
This is no ordinary run. Liverpool have already taken care of Villarreal in the Champions League and now face a Brighton side capable of unsettling anyone on their day. Chelsea then arrive at Anfield on Wednesday in the Carabao Cup last 16, before reigning Premier League champions Arsenal roll into town at the start of November.
It’s a sequence that will test the depth and resilience of Iraola’s squad. Rotations are inevitable. Risks are not.
That’s where the midfield jigsaw comes in.
Florian Wirtz, who came off the bench to score in midweek, has put himself in prime position for a recall. Iraola can restore him to the starting XI, most likely at the expense of Trey Nyoni. That tweak would allow Ryan Gravenberch to drop back into his more natural central midfield role, operating alongside Alexis Mac Allister and giving Liverpool a better balance between control and incision.
Injury clouds gather
Not all of Iraola’s decisions are tactical. Some are enforced.
Dominik Szoboszlai is expected to miss the Brighton game with a hamstring injury, removing one of Liverpool’s most dynamic runners from the middle of the pitch. On the right, Jeremie Frimpong faces around a month out with a muscle problem, stripping away a key outlet and an important source of width and energy.
They join Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley on the sidelines, a growing list that underlines why Barcola’s condition has become such a focal point heading into the weekend.
Anfield will be full, the schedule unforgiving, and the opponents unrelenting. How much of that storm Liverpool can ride may depend on which names Iraola can actually put on his teamsheet when Brighton walk out into the noise on Sunday.
