Liverpool Coach Confirms Bradley Barcola Suffered Cramps, Not Serious Calf Injury

Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola has confirmed that Bradley Barcola suffered cramps rather than a serious calf injury during Liverpool’s 2-1 Champions League win over Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, September 9.

Bradley Barcola pulled up holding his left calf in the 60th minute of his full debut, raising concerns over a possible injury. However, Iraola told TNT Sports that the winger only suffered cramps after being brought into action without any pre-season minutes at Paris Saint-Germain before his £123 million move to Liverpool.

“No, just cramps, especially with Bradley,” he said.

“We are rushing him a little bit. We wanted him there, but in the end we decided to say, ‘ Give us what you have then; that’s the most he has. Let’s see how they recover for the next one.”

Iraola was pleased with Barcola’s performance before his withdrawal, saying the winger looked dangerous and had two clear chances against Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak.

The Liverpool manager also praised his team’s character after they came from behind to beat Atletico, while admitting they must improve their starts to matches.

“I was enjoying it,” Iraola said. “They’re a very good team. Technically, in the middle, lovely players. It is not easy to press those players as they have quality.

“They have been playing together forever. We found another comeback after Forest, after Newcastle. We still have this thing to improve at the beginning of the games, but I am happy as we have shown some character.

“This is the Champions League; you don’t have easy games.”