Coming back a 1-0 win at the Parc des Princes in Paris, while more attention was on when the trident of Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar disbanded, City and Pep Guardiola had a new 20-year-old talent in sight.
Barcora, who scored the only goal of the game, has contributed four goals and two assists in six of his last five Ligue 1 and one French Cup, making him a new focal point in Ligue 1.
01. France Under-21 international in the first 2 months: Manchester City and Serie A
a. Lyon youth academy born in 02: already a France Under-21 international
Born on September 2, 2002, Barcorra is another masterpiece of Lyon's youth academy. So far this season, he has played 19 games in Ligue 1, but has only started eight.
In the first nine Ligue 1 games of the season, he was a substitute. It wasn't until Game 10 that he started for the first time, and as a result, he gave out assists, which allowed him to win more appearances.
In the last 10 games, he has contributed 5 goals and 2 assists. Especially in the past six games, the efficiency of 4 goals, 2 assists and 6 goals is eye-catching.
On the previous national matchday, Barcora was successfully selected for the French Under-21 national team, and is considered to be another rising star in French football.
b. Selected by Manchester City and the manager, Serie A teams compete
When he was promoted to the first team, Barcora's contract was signed until 2024. However, before he ushered in the explosion, Lyon had successfully renewed his contract until 2026.
According to the French authoritative media team newspaper, Manchester City's city football group discovered the supernova. City already have initial contacts and offers, with plans to sign the 20-year-old Barcora on loan to their satellite side (Troyes in Ligue 1 or Girona in La Liga).
In February's Ligue 1 selections, Barcora joined Paris' midfielder Emery in the three-man shortlist for the best rookie.
This time against Messi and Mbappe's Paris, Barcora scored the only goal of the game and became the most dazzling presence.
Manchester City's summer window will not be easy to buy him, as a number of Serie A teams have begun to pay attention to the 20-year-old. If it was only to buy and go out on loan, instead of growing up next to Gua Shuai, Balcora might not choose the Blue Moon Army.
02. Good dribbling rhythm + smart movement without the ball
a. The speed is not fast & the change of direction action and get rid of it very well
Barcora can play as a striker or winger on the pitch. His speed is not very fast and his strength is average, but his body flexibility and the frequency of movement under his feet are advantages.
In this match against Paris, he played against Andreas Pereira most of the time, and it was difficult for the individual to take advantage (he was switched to the right wing in the second half).
Barcora's biggest feature is the turning and smashing action, and this time he has a clear advantage against Bishab.
If it weren't for Marquinhos to assist in the break, Barcora could have teased Bhisab along the way.
It's not fast, but the player has a good dribbling pace. When he chooses to cut inside the middle, he has a high success rate.
Unless 2-3 people are packed, his success rate in the first step is still very high. This time he dangled Andreas Pereira and shot from the middle before the second defender closed, and the quality was still very high.
In addition to not being fast enough, Barcora's strength is also a little off. His use of heading technique is also pale and he is not very good at technical movements above the chest.
This time against Pereira, it was because of the power disadvantage that he could not hold the ball, followed by a foul because he was in a hurry to counterattack.
b. Teamwork: Move smartly without the ball
Because of the lack of speed and strength, his one-on-one success rate against Paris is not high (mainly because he actively participates in defense, 6 tackles, 2 breaks, 4 times, the offensive success rate is good, 3 passes are 2 successful).
At the same time, his passing efficiency is quite good, and as a 20-year-old, his ball intelligence, off-ball movement and passing consistency are already very good.
This time on the wing, Barcora did not eat alone, he wittily returned the pass to his teammate and cut forward without the ball.
After taking the ball twice, he observed his teammates in the middle and crossed to find Cherki very beautifully. Had it not been for a mismatch between Cherki and Dembele, this wave of counter-attacks could have been a great threat.
As a winger, he is certainly not a burst with the ball, but a combination of passing, getting away and receiving without the ball.
Especially looking for opportunities from the outside of the wing to the inside line, his movement level is quite high. This time Cherky is a great opportunity once he passes the ball.
I don't know if Lyon and France Under-21s are rivals, and Cherky doesn't seem to be very fond of passing Balcora.
This time he chose to drip the ball himself and shoot from distance, which was somewhat disappointing.
The match against Lille was similar, with Barcora once again finding a huge vacancy at the back post.
Instead of choosing to pass Barcora, Cherky wanted to pass the ball with his heels into the crowd. As a result, he accidentally hit the feet of Balcora, and his shot was very crisp, sending the ball into the bottom of the opponent's net.
03. High defensive motivation & good passing efficiency
a. Highly motivated to defend and good at pressing opposing defenders
In the away game against Paris, Lyon completed a total of 378 defensive presses, which is also the highest record in Ligue 1 this season.
Barcora also has a good motivation to move and press the opposing defense in the game.
This time Sanches faced the pressure of Barcora, dribbling and possession at his feet beautifully. The last move was made to find Messi, and it happened to be over Barcora's head.
Although the Frenchman never broke the ball, he then landed in Camersi's straight line, which was still correct in terms of movement. Paris have been busy for half a day to play in midfield, and it is not surprising that Messi was finally cut off in front of the box.
As a striker, Barcora's movement and presence on the defensive end is still very good.
He has the motivation to counter-tackle (2 of the 6 steal attempts in total) and the advantage of long legs, which makes his defense better.
b. Good shooting efficiency & passing also has potential
At the age of 20 and a height of 1.86 meters, Barcora is a bit similar to Manchester United's Anthony Martial in terms of technical characteristics.
He is still very young and has some room for growth in strength and explosiveness. Overall, he is currently a team-type attacker whose software outperforms hardware.
He is characteristic when dribbling the ball, with a large stride and a quick twist. This time he accelerated forward with the ball and suddenly crossed to the side and back, assisting Lacazette's draw with Lille being an example.
The youngster's passing is still good, although he occasionally makes mistakes, but from the perspective of vision and choice, there is still a lot of room for growth in the future.
The only goal against Paris also showed his ability to read the game. After Ashraf came out, seeing his teammates shift to the right post, Barcora quickly stepped forward to grab the far opening, which was the main reason for the goal.
He likes the front thrust, the level of insight into the space is already quite good, the efficiency in front of the goal is also quite high, and he is expected to score more goals in the future.
Conclusion:
This is a 20-year-old team attacker whose future positioning can be multiple developments between striker and midfield, wing and centre.
There are many development directions, which shows that there can be many things that can be done. However, the dimensions are mixed, which also means that he does not have too clear core advantages. How the road should be taken in the future may depend on whether he can meet a good Bole who leads him to a good road.