Barcola had gone six appearances in a Liverpool shirt without a goal or an assist before Wednesday night in Linz. By full-time he had three to his name in a 6-3 win over LASK that lifted Liverpool deeper into the Champions League league phase.
Van Dijk, sidelined with a calf problem picked up in Sunday’s defeat to Manchester City, was still the first senior voice to speak about what the night meant for the 24-year-old France international.
“It’s massive for him. He’s very introverted anyway. He won’t express his feelings too much but everyone knows that will help him so much,” Van Dijk said.
“Hopefully there are many more hat-tricks to come.”
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The captain also framed Barcola’s slow start as a dressing-room project rather than a form worry.
“It’s about creating the environment where he can express himself on the pitch.”
A £123m signing finally opens his account
Liverpool paid Paris Saint-Germain a reported £123m for Barcola in the summer, and the fee had begun to loom over a quiet opening to his Anfield career. His goals in Austria arrived in the 24th, 37th and 66th minutes, in a chaotic evening in which Ronald Araújo opened the scoring with a header from a corner and Jeremie Frimpong headed in Liverpool’s fourth off the right post in the 51st.
The win came with an entirely rotated side. Head coach Andoni Iraola made several changes with Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and other regulars unavailable, and he leaned on teenagers Trey Nyoni and Lewis Koumas alongside Barcola in attack.
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“You don’t have a lot of time to train. You have to prioritise the freshness of the players,” Iraola said of his selection.
Van Dijk back for Brentford
Robert Ljubičić pulled one back in the 63rd before Frimpong set up Barcola for the tap-in that completed his hat-trick in the 66th. Koumas added Liverpool’s sixth six minutes later for his first goal for the club, and Florian Flecker then struck twice late on, in the 74th and 78th, to shape the final 6-3 scoreline.
Van Dijk had watched from outside the matchday squad, having limped out of the Premier League meeting with Manchester City at Anfield three days earlier. He expects to be available again for Saturday’s trip to Brentford.
“It was a crazy game. I’m really happy for everyone. Bradley, Kostas, Trey, Koumas, everyone stepped up.”
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For Barcola, the night ends a goalless run that had stretched across the start of his Premier League and Champions League career with Liverpool. The next test is Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday.
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