Bradley Barcola is confident he can make a difference for Paris Saint-Germain this season with Kylian Mbappe out following his brace against Montpellier.
Barcola, who has already scored three goals in two appearances this season, was the star of Luis Enrique’s side’s 6-0 win in their first home game of the new season.
The 21-year-old opened the scoring at the Parc des Princes with a brilliant finish from the left before completing his first career brace with a simple finish in the second half.
Barcola recorded the most shots (four) and touches in the opposition penalty area (seven) and also contributed 1.17 expected goals (xG) to PSG’s total of 3.9.
He has now been involved in eight goals in his last seven top-flight appearances for the club (five goals and three assists) and he is convinced that he will be the centre of attention this year.
“I had a lot of fun, I felt free. The coach asked everyone to put pressure on together. You have to work hard, but over time you get used to it,” said Barcola.
“I realised I could make a difference. Pushing the ball forward like that on the first goal is something I’ve been doing since I was a kid.”
PSG have now scored ten goals in their first two games of the league season, reaching their highest tally after two games played (10 also in the 2022/23 season) – all without last year’s top scorer Mbappe.
Enrique’s team had 27 shots against Montpellier, 11 of which were on target. The Spaniard had expected this after witnessing their ruthless style of play in training.
“I’m very happy because it’s our first home game. We wanted to make the fans happy. It was a perfect evening,” said Enrique.
“I felt it in training, the intensity of the pressing has increased. We scored six goals, but we could have scored ten. Tonight was our night… the players were incredible. It’s a great feeling.”
PSG continue their league campaign next week at the Stade Pierre Mauroy when they face Lille, who face Angers in their second game of the season on Saturday.
