Why Barcola Might Not Fix Liverpool's Biggest Problem

Liverpool appear to be in chaos mode. Mohamed Salah leaving this summer seems to have left a massive gap on their right-hand side. But what is it they actually want on that right wing? Is Milo Sarr's output and speed, Yancuba Minna's width and directness, or a superstar to replace a superstar? Well, I'm Jacob Horsfall, 442's resident tactician, and this is why Liverpool's summer has been so chaotic. To understand why Liverpool have chased the players that they have, we first got to look Against Newcastle, we saw the two wingers have wildly different roles. Here, you can see the right winger is wide by the touchline rather than coming into this inside space with the ball on the left-hand side. And in fact, we saw the left winger actually be the one who would drift narrow with the ball in that wide left space. The goal was to ideally leave the striker 2v1 between the two Newcastle centre-backs whilst occupying the left back with the right winger, meaning crosses to were a 1v1 battle, or midfielders could arrive into space on the outskirts of the box unmarked. However, Liverpool had a box entry problem down their right-hand side. When Rio Inghamore received on that right-hand side, he was unfamiliar with the dribbling angles, and he doesn't have that proper burst of acceleration to hit the byline, which is what that right winger kind of needs to do for Arreola. In fact, Inghamore actually registered the lowest touches of any Liverpool start-up, with just 21 in that game. And I don't think that necessarily falls on Inghamore. He's a top talent, he's a top player, but he's a top player at left wing, not off the right. Now when Munoz came on, he was a better fit. Yeah, he's still one of the widest players on the pitch, but he has that burst of acceleration to burst past his marker, get to the ball, and then his first intention is to go direct, straight forward toward the goal. And obviously in this instance, he ended up winning a penalty. But Munoz is still young, and he's come off the back of his first ever full season in professional football, one in which he scored seven goals in 36 appearances across all competitions. So that output isn't enough to replace what Mohamed Salah brought to Liverpool for so many years, which leads us to the Reds recruitment. Liverpool have gone from Yandi Amande, to Yancuba Minta, to Ismail Assar, who are all wildly different profiles. So I want to really look into all three of them, and try to identify what Liverpool seem to actually be looking for. The player traits diagram of all three wingers are entirely different. Salah is a high volume shooter and goal scorer. Minta is a hard worker who creates chances through take-ons, and Yandi Amande is a chance creation machine who fashions his own shooting opportunities. Ismail Assar wants to get into the central areas between the opposition's full-back and centre-back, whilst his wing partner comes high to occupy the opposition defence, allowing Salah to remain on centre-back's blindside and act as almost a poacher inside the box. But when it comes to him, it seems that Liverpool have potentially left it too late, and Palace aren't going to be open to letting him go. Yancuba Minta is then a little bit different. Instead, he stays wide and uses body feints to engage his defender, then beat him and deliver early balls into the box. Again, this one feels like Liverpool have come in too late yet again, and therefore it's unlikely that Brighton let him leave. Then Yandi Amande, who drifts relatively freely between the wings and central space, but will try receive and carry inward toward goal, skipping past multiple players to find his own angle for a shot. In this case, Liverpool simply lost out because Real Madrid came in, and that's completely valid. There's no shame in losing out on a player to Real Madrid. However, there is some shame in the fact that all three of them targets that we've mentioned are entirely different profiles, so finding the logic behind who they are trying to find is actually quite hard. Yancuba Minta would be perfect as this sort of wide width holder, as he is for Brighton here. Because of Irayola's football being so vertical, Minta would get himself into these 1v1s consistently, and he has the ability to skin his man and get into big spaces inside the opposition's box. However, the fact it's Brighton, and we're in the stage where we are, means that Yancuba Minta would cost a ridiculous amount of money, or maybe Brighton wouldn't even sell. But I do think it would be worth it for Liverpool. Only Ilimane Ndiaye and Jeremy Doku completed more take-ons than the Gambian winger last season, whilst only Spurs and City attempted more take-ons than Irayola's Bournemouth. So, off that right wing, holding the width and combining with Frimpong, or one of those midfielders, in a beautiful trifecta would be lovely for Liverpool. Now, the other option that is realistic right now, because we know Yandier Mande went to Madrid, yadda yadda yadda, but Ismail Yassar has come out as today, as the time I'm recording, as the favourite for that move, and to me, it screams panic buys. As we've established, he's someone who finds himself on the inside, operating as a second striker, really. In fact, last season, for every 17 touches Sarr took, he had one shot on goal. And that's his bread and butter. Minimal touches, maximum shots. Now, Sarr and Salah have their own similarities, I think. Both of them find themselves in a sort of centre-forward poacher position here, where they can latch onto rebounds and score. But the problem is, and I'm not comparing them quality-wise, but we're saying in sort of those box instincts, the minimal touches, maximum shots sort of way of playing, Salah and Sarr do have them similarities. But the problem is, Liverpool don't need a Mo Salah-type player anymore. Andoni Arreola's football is built for something different. Instead, we need someone who's going to be explosive, can be really, really secure with the ball, but also direct 1v1 threat. And obviously, the goals, the output, is also of importance as well. For me, Sarr in that right-wing position just doesn't make sense, because then they'd have him and Gakpo, who are both wingers, don't move the needle in possession. Instead, they're both basically second strikers, wanting to get in the final third. So it just wouldn't make sense, which gives us the question of, what should they do? With the window closing shortly, I do expect Liverpool to wrap up a deal for someone in the coming days. Now, someone like Bradley Barcola has been consistently mentioned throughout this full window, and in fairness, I do actually think someone like Barcola plus Ismailia Sarr would work really, really well. But I do get the feeling it's one or the other. Throughout Barcola's career, he's been a left winger, playing over 60 of his 128 games at left wing, but he has also featured at right wing 25 times. And with his technical level being so high and his ability to either smash home on his left foot or bend one into the corner on his right foot, it does mean he can be an asset off of either wing. And I think as a pure footballer, he would be one of the best attackers in the league. Now, this position will be slightly new to him, where he finds himself as the width holder on the right, but he can also identify the space that opens up the direct passing angles that Irayola loves to be played. Whilst also, as we've established, with Barcola by that touchline, we've seen it so many times, he can beat almost anyone in the dribble. He's so secure technically, he's still got that burst of acceleration that I think he would really work out there for Irayola. However, Barcola is a left winger and for what would be over 120 million euros, why would you play him out of position? Surely you want him as that left winger in his best position for that sort of fee. It just wouldn't make sense to throw him out on the right, would it? The problem Liverpool have is that in the right wing market right now, trying to find a relatively young, pacey, goal scoring, direct, good in the dribble winger is either impossible to find or players are costing you ridiculous fees. Clubs like Man City found market opportunities in Ryan Shirky, Arsenal invested in one of their own through Bakayo Saka, but Liverpool weren't necessarily able to do that because I feel like they were almost blindsided or maybe caught off guard by what happened to their long standing right winger. Before last season, Mohamed Salah was still on top of the world. His decline, combined with the off the pitch issues with Arnie Slott, meant they probably were losing someone who they thought they would have for another 18 months yet. So their preparation for his departure was probably scheduled to start this summer, but because they thought he was staying and he's left, they're now in no man's land. So now this team and the serious quality that it does have in certain positions like Jeremy Jacquet and Van Dijk, if you want to talk about Dominic Sobbersley, I still think Florian Burt potentially has something to offer long term, but it doesn't have a feasible right winger. It doesn't have a right winger that can get them competing at the top table again, and that makes them vulnerable. Palace and Brighton know that Liverpool are scrambling a little bit. They know that Liverpool are in chaos mode, so they're going to ask for more for Yancuba Minta or Ismail Assar, and it leaves Liverpool in a tough position. So who do you think they are going to get before the end of the window? Will it be Yancuba Minta through the door? Ismail Assar? Will it be Bradley Bargaller at right wing? Let me know, because whoever it is will more than likely be here on the 442 channel to analyse them and let you know how they fit into Andoni Iraiola's plans. So if you have enjoyed today's video, leave a like and subscribe. We really do appreciate it. As I say, we'll be back again next week with more analysis.