Bradley Barcola chose jersey number 29 when joining Liverpool, a decision associated with his childhood PlayStation memory. But behind that number is a bigger ambition: to create a new fast attack for the Anfield home team with Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak.
When he was young in Villeurbanne, on the outskirts of Lyon, Barcola spent a lot of time playing PlayStation. In FIFA, he especially loved the character Alex Hunter, a young player built on a journey from academia to the pinnacle of football.
Barcola once chose number 29 for Hunter and kept that choice when playing in real life. After Paris Saint-Germain, this jersey number will continue to appear at Anfield in the coming years.
At the age of 23, Barcola has won 13 major titles. Liverpool had to pay £123 million to own the French winger, putting him in an attacking plan with the participation of two other expensive new signings, Wirtz and Isak.
Wirtz is priced at 116 million pounds, while Isak costs Liverpool 125 million pounds. If Barcola plays on the left wing, Wirtz plays behind and Isak takes the highest position, Liverpool will have an attacking trio possessing different speed, technique and handling ability.
Liverpool expects Barcola's speed to stretch the opponent's defense. When space appears, Wirtz can take advantage of his ball handling ability, while Isak waits for passes in the area near the goal.
Barcola was once interested by Arsenal and some other clubs, but he wants to go to Liverpool. The port city team has been following this striker since 2022 and finally agreed to spend a very large sum of money to bring him to Anfield.
Barcola's appearance also brings many expectations for Wirtz and Isak. Both have not had a truly outstanding start at Liverpool. Wirtz only had a fairly good match against Nottingham Forest, while Isak only touched the ball 14 times but still managed to score.
Barcola can change Liverpool's attacking style. His acceleration and dribbling ability creates another attacking option, while also giving Wirtz more space to operate.
However, one should not expect Barcola to immediately solve all the problems of the "Reds". The 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest has revealed gaps in the defense system. A strong attack does not mean that the team will operate smoothly immediately.
Iraola needs time to improve his playing style. He wants wingers to operate with high intensity, constantly put pressure and participate in both attack and defense. Victor Munoz, another newcomer, has partly met that requirement against Forest.
Barcola is the type of player suitable for this playing style. He has the speed to exploit space and the technique to handle when facing defenders. If connected well with Wirtz and Isak, Liverpool can form a very difficult-to-control attack.
The challenge for this trio also came quite early. Three of Liverpool's next five opponents at Anfield are Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United, all appearing before November 21.
Such matches will be an opportunity for Barcola, Wirtz and Isak to make their mark in an attack that is highly anticipated. Liverpool not only wants to score more goals, but also aims for a fast, technically rich football that can draw spectators into the match.
Barcola was brought in to contribute to turning that idea into reality. Liverpool's new attack still needs time to improve, but if the three expensive stars find common ground, Anfield could witness a football version very close to what Barcola has experienced on PlayStation.
