ALL BARC, NO BITE: Liverpool boss Iraola's failed Barcola experiment in Fenerbahce defeat leaves Reds with £123m dilemma

It was once the envy of European football. Liverpool's consistency excellent recruitment was the key to Jurgen Klopp's glittering reign and set Arne Slot up for a quick-fire title win.

But Andoni Iraola hasn't been dealt such a favourable hand. The Spaniard has inherited an unbalanced squad, whether that be in terms of age or areas of the pitch.

Iraola's priority in his first summer was to sign an elite winger to replace Mo Salah - and Bradley Barcola was top of the list. After weeks of deliberation, Liverpool shelled out £123million on the Paris Saint-Germain star, who'd just won the Champions League for the second year running.

Barcola didn't take long to announce himself, bagging a hat-trick in Liverpool's 6-3 victory over LASK. So why did his next start in the Champions League come as a striker?

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"We thought it would work well," Iraola explained after their 3-2 loss away to Fenerbahce on Wednesday. "I think Bradley, in terms of speed [and] the match-ups, it could be good for him.

"He hasn't found the position too hard... all season he has been better when he has played outside wide, and then obviously with Cody [Gakpo], with Alex [Isak], I think we've been more dangerous."

The Liverpool's manager comments suggest that Barcola won't be playing up front again. His performance does, though, leave Iraola with a dilemma.

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Two of Liverpool's best players this season have also been wingers: Gakpo and Rio Ngumoha. The pair compliment each other well, as seen in the Reds' swashbuckling 4-3 win against Villarreal last month when Barcola was notably benched.

With nine goal contributions in 11 games this season - including one against Fenerbahce as a substitute - Gakpo has been prolific from the left wing, Barcola's preferred position. On the right, Ngumoha is chomping at the bit and completed seven dribbles (the most of any player) in Istanbul.

So where does Barcola fit in? On the left, where he's played most of his career and performed best for PSG and France? Or the right, a position which he's got plenty of experience in but means that he's unable to cut inside on his stronger foot?

Awkwardly for Iraola, all three of Gakpo, Ngomoha and Barcola have performed better than Florian Wirtz, but the German appears to have the No.10 role nailed down despite his consistently underwhelming displays. Could Barcola be used there for Iraola's next experiment?

Likely not. In October, the Reds boss said: "He probably has played more as a left winger but has played a little bit as a striker, has played even more as a right winger. I think he can cover the three positions up front."

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher warned Anfield chiefs that Barcola wasn't a like-for-like replacement for Salah on the right flank, and after Wednesday's defeat, he once again criticised the club's squad-building. "The squad Liverpool have got is very expensive but not as good as it should be, and not as balanced as it should be," Carragher told CBS Sports.

"When you think of some of those players that have come in, what's a little worry for - not so much the manager - but the people who run the club, I spoke about Trey Nyoni being the best player for Liverpool. Well him and Rio Ngumoha, another young player, were the best players for Liverpool and they were a week or so ago against Chelsea.

"But they also play in the position of players where Liverpool have spent big money. So Barcola has come in for £120million; he played up front tonight, didn't play well, but the younger players are playing better than him."

With the international break approaching, Iraola and his coaching staff will soon time to mull over Liverpool's setup and perhaps find a solution. Against Crystal Palace on Sunday, however, Barcola may well have to settle for the right-hand side - or the bench.

But what does Barcola himself have to say? "I don't think I'm at my best yet," the 24-year-old admitted in an interview with Sky Sports this week.

"You still haven't seen the best version of me. On top of that, we're working with my team-mates so that they can make the most of my strengths.

"So yes, I think once we really develop that understanding, things will get much better. And I think things are improving all the time. People are beginning to understand my style of play much better. I think it's going much better."