Doku is a 1v1 specialist.
I wouldn't say Barcola is a 1v1 specialist, but he can beat his full back on the dribble.
He is quite similar to prime Raheem Sterling in the sense that his key strengths are attacking spaces in behind and getting himself in areas where he can score. He loves to run in behind and play on the last shoulder. If you give him half a yard, he will destroy any team.
You say that he can be easily nullified if the opposition have pacey defenders, but he is extremely quick. Easier said than done. Barcola has very good acceleration over the first 20 metres or so to get away from his full back and score.
For me, we need another winger that will not let defenders rest. Doku is a constant threat to his full backs, they can never have an easy game against them because he is absolutely relentless.
Barcola doesn't have as good 1v1 ability as Doku, but he creates as much danger as Doku due to his excellent movement off the ball and when he gets through on goal, he has quite a good finish on him.
Every time I watch Semenyo play on the wing, he just looks uncomfortable. He isn't much of a dribbler, he just looks ungainly, his balance doesn't look right. I think sometimes he doesn't know which way he is going to go or which foot he is going to go with to attempt to get past a player. Nothing about him on the wing looks natural. He is far more suited to operating through the middle areas of the pitch where he is in a better position to score.
I think buying a top quality winger this summer is an absolute necessity for us. It is just as important as bringing a central midfielder in. We have seen just how good PSG have become with elite level touchline wingers. It has moved them up quite a few levels.
Finally some actual analysis.
I concur with the comparisons and everything you said, he is an elite pacey forward. He’s very similar to players like Nico Williams or Leao. They’re tricky enough but rely heavily on pace which is fine I don’t have a problem with it While his raw volume numbers are strong, his overall profile is marked by low 1v1 dribble percentages and occasional struggles with finishing high-leverage chances.
Since I’ve watched him at Lyon he’s got a linear progression when it comes to comfortably getting into good positions to create high quality chances or score himself. The numbers say he’s supposed to be far greater than he acc is, routinely ranking in the 90th+ percentile for touches in the box). His non-penalty expected goals xG per 90 remains exceptionally high, and he is adept at one-on-one situations with the goalkeeper.
And like Sterling he shares the same gene that frustrate fans the most due to his high output of attempts inevitably leads to high numbers of big chances missed. His shot conversion rate can occasionally frustrate fans,he has registered a notable tally of missed clear-cut chances, particularly in the Champions League. 2 goals and 14 big chances missed they might be more since stats can’t really get everything but the same can be said for a number of players like Vini with 5 goals and 17 BCM, Haaland is notorious for topping the charts I think it’s his 3rd season in row but anyway he is got 43 goals and 30 BCM, Mbappe has the same goals but 23 BCM, Kane with 60 goals and 27 BCM. They’re the upper echelon of shooters and efficiency but Barcola is still defined as a bad finisher end of story.
His crossing isn’t that different from Doku, like Doku he’s never really on his stronger foot so traditional high-arching crosses are considered one of his primary weaknesses. He is not an old-school winger who beats his man on the outside to drop crosses into the box Instead of crossing from deep, his crossing profile heavily favors driving towards the byline and firing low, driven cut-back passes into the center of the box, which yield high xA
He’s not intense like Anthony Gordon, defensively not strong just okay, he’s only highly effective at finding space off the ball in the box, ranking in the
93rd percentile for touches in the opposition penalty area.
He’s not two footed like a Cherki or Diomande, mainly scoring his goals from his right foot.
One thing you can give me that no other wingers has is his aerial duel success rate, he’s mad tall and he’s always able to bring the ball down similar to Havertz when he’s playing up front.
My opinion he’s good but not amazing which could be why psg aren’t that worried about losing him. But I can back him in the sense where I have feeling he can be a WC player. The issue is he’s position. If we didn’t have Doku i’d entertain it but we need a left footer or someone that plays mainly on the right. He’d cook for Villa, Barca, Arsenal, Pool etc.
