Gary Neville is wrong about Liverpool's Bradley Barcola, the numbers prove it

Gary Neville has completely missed the mark with his assessment of Liverpool's Bradley Barcola against Manchester City.

The French winger is of course going to get plenty of criticism, especially when you come in with a price such as his.

Truthfully, much of that is deserved as he did fail to take centre stage and prove his worth against one of the Premier League's best.

However, Neville's take on Barcola is quite confusing following the aftermath of the game.

The Sky Sports pundit is asking the winger to produce and show more initiative in his game.

But that is a quality that no one showed more than Barcola at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.

What has Gary Neville said about Bradley Barcola?

Neville has criticised Barcola for not utilising his dribbling and pace against Manchester City.

The French winger was up against City right-back Matheus Nunes, and while the Portuguese did get the better of him, Neville's point lacks substance.

Speaking on the Gary Neville podcast following the match, the pundit stated: "He really did turn down the one-on-one duel that he directly had against Nunes."

"He sort of wasn't positive and didn't have that belief."

Neville later went on to say: "That would just concern me and that can't continue."

However, during the game, Barcola did often look to dribble with the ball, and that is highlighted by his data.

As per FotMob, no player attempted more dribbles than Barcola's seven. However, Jeremy Doku matched him.

Additionally, no Liverpool player was involved in or won more ground duels than Barcola's 13, with eight of those being successful.

So, to say he shied away from his one-versus-one battles does not exactly hold up, with Neville completely missing the point.

Why Barcola criticism should be held off for now

Barcola is still a new player getting to grips with the Premier League, and while he was not at his best on Sunday, there were still some positive signs.

The Frenchman is used to being in constant attacking situations with PSG, but at Liverpool, you need to be more hard-working.

Barcola has taken that in his stride, as only fellow Frenchman Jeremy Jacquet (12) had more defensive contributions than his 10.

Of course, producing strong defensive numbers is not the standout stat you want from your high-profile attacker, but it shows he is beginning to adapt to the needs of England's top flight.