Bradley Barcola and Rayan Cherki were involved in a heated on-field exchange during France’s 3-1 defeat to Italy at the San Siro on Thursday, though reports of a full-scale dressing room bust-up are wide of the mark.
- Barcola’s Fantasy Value: The Liverpool winger remains goalless in five matches under Zinedine Zidane, raising questions about his short-term output in fantasy drafts.
- Nations League Odds: France must secure a result against Turkey to guarantee a place in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals, impacting group qualification markets.
Zidane’s side suffered a surprise 3-1 defeat away to Italy, marking the first loss for Les Bleus since the former Real Madrid manager took charge. France initially took the lead in Milan through Michael Olise before a Pio Esposito brace and a Davide Frattesi effort turned the fixture on its head.
Moments after Esposito drew the hosts level, Liverpool winger Barcola and Manchester City star Cherki were spotted in a heated on-field discussion. RMC Sport attributed the friction to an on-field misunderstanding between the two attackers as the momentum shifted toward Italy.
The same publication said that Cherki was visibly frustrated when exiting the France dressing room after the full-time whistle, though sources indicated his annoyance stemmed from the team’s defeat rather than any lingering animosity toward a specific team-mate. Right-back Malo Gusto also displayed visible frustration after struggling defensively during the build-up to Italy’s equalising goal.
Subsequent media outlets inflated the incident into a severe dressing room confrontation, a characterization not supported by the original RMC Sport dispatch.
The report detailed: “Heads down as they left the locker room, a very affected Malo Gusto, marked by his poor performance, an angry Rayan Cherki with a dark look, in line with some tensions that appeared on the pitch, notably a misunderstanding between him and Bradley Barcola at the end of the first half, when the match had started to turn around, after the Italian equaliser.”
Despite the setback at the San Siro, France retain control of their qualification path in the group. A draw against Turkey will secure their progression to next year’s quarter-finals, and they could even advance with a defeat if Italy overcome Belgium in Sunday’s concurrent fixture.
Barcola earned a high-profile move to Anfield after impressing for France at the World Cup, where he netted three goals. However, he has struggled to replicate that prolific form under Zidane, making three starts across five outings without finding the back of the net.
Cherki experienced a contrasting tournament over the summer in North America, often deployed as a peripheral option, but has since established a more prominent role in the attacking setup.
“We didn’t lack courage, on the contrary, we were in the game,” Zidane said after the defeat in Italy.
“But, defensively, we weren’t as good,” Zidane told RMC Sport.
“Without the ball, it wasn’t enough. We crumbled after the break, we lost our composure, but that’s part of the learning process,” Zidane added.
“We’ll analyse it. We’ll focus on winning back possession. That’s one of the things we need to work on. We all defended less well, but we’ll continue with our playing principles,” Zidane concluded.
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