Thierry Henry expects a difficult start for Bradley Barcola at Liverpool, but has warned the summer signing that he will soon have to deliver. The 24-year-old joined the Reds from Paris Saint-Germain in August for an initial £106 million, with a further £17 million in potential add-ons. He has made five appearances so far, but is yet to score or make a significant impression.
Adapting to a new system
Liverpool have made a solid but fairly stodgy start to the season under new boss Andoni Iraola, remaining unbeaten in five Premier League games but drawing three. Henry believes Barcola will take time to adjust to a different system after impressing under Luis Enrique at PSG, while learning a new language is also a hurdle.
The Arsenal legend also thinks the big-money signing needs to work on his finishing, though he expects that to improve. Speaking to Betway, Henry said: 'You can see that everyone who comes into Luis Enrique's system shines – [Khvicha] Kvaratskhelia, [Ousmane] Dembele, [Desire] Doue, Barcola.'
Pressure of the price tag
'It's not always easy when you're used to a certain system and a way of playing, where everybody knows what's happening at any time. He just arrived in Liverpool, he doesn't speak English, and it's a different style of play with different intensity in the league,' Henry added.
'I had to deal with it the same way, and then that little switch happened and I was more comfortable. You start to speak English, you can joke around in the dressing room, you're a bit less shy and people start to know what you're about.'
Henry continued: 'It's not an easy place to start, and he didn't ask for his price tag, but it's on his back. We all know that one-v-one, he is deadly, and he has pace. The only thing he needs to work on is his finishing, but that's normal. If you see my finishing when I was 19 or 20 compared to the end of my career, it was so different. I became so much more sure about my game.'
Jacquet impressing at the back
'With winning the Champions League back-to-back, playing for France, with the price tag and the quality that he has, people are not going to wait for him to become the finished article, so he's going to have to deliver. There is going to be a level of expectation, and sometimes he is a bit raw in his finishing, but he creates a hell of a lot,' Henry said.
Another new arrival at Anfield, Jeremy Jacquet, has made a very impressive start since signing from Rennes. The 21-year-old has slotted in alongside Virgil van Dijk in the centre of defence, and Henry is not surprised he is living up to his potential.
'It's always been very high,' Henry said of Jacquet's reputation. 'When I was the coach of the [France] Under-21s I wanted to call him up, he was only 16 or 17, but he didn't come because he had to take his exams. As much as he is concentrated on football, he was also concentrated on getting his degrees.'
'He's very on-point in his head, and his family knows what he needs to do and how he can be successful. People told me that he has always been seen as “the guy”, but it doesn't always work that way. Many times I've seen players who were “the guy” at that age turn out not to be the guy, while sometimes it does go the other way.'
'You can see that he already understands what he needs to do, especially in the physical part of the game. It also helps if you play alongside Virgil. But am I surprised with him dealing with the level of expectation? No, not really, because he was always in that situation in the youth system in France.'
Barcola and Jacquet are both part of the new era of the France national team under Zinedine Zidane, with both starting in the 1-0 win over Belgium on Monday. France face Italy on Friday and Belgium again on Monday.
