What went wrong: Philippe Coutinho
Why has the former Liverpool attacker struggled since leaving Anfield?
Welcome back to Marginal Pains.
This is the second feature in our new series. The first covered Naby Keïta and today we’re going to be looking at Philippe Coutinho.
If you have any particular players you’d like us to focus on for this series, please do let us know and we’ll add them to the list.
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It feels like forever ago that Liverpool’s famed front three were actually a fab four. For a four month period, Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah terrorised Premier League defences. The Reds also netted 23 times in their six Champions League group games, even hitting seven in two of their matches.
I’m not entirely sure what was expected, but few expected this.
After all, Coutinho tried to force a move to Barcelona ahead of the 2017/18 campaign and then he was ruled out with a questionable back injury. The general feeling amongst Liverpool fans went from let him rot in the reserves to £140million is nowhere near enough.
All because he returned to the starting XI and posted the best numbers of his entire career. The Brazilian went from frustrating to devastating in what felt like a blink of an eye. Jurgen Klopp had worked on tweaking his game, but it wasn’t until Salah joined that it seemed to click for the one-time Inter youngster.
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He added a ruthlessness to his game and at the time of his departure, he was averaging 0.54 goals and 0.47 assists per 90 in the Premier League. That was over a 14 game sample size, too, more than enough to decide whether this was more than a purple patch. If those averages are extrapolated over the eternity of a 38 game season, Coutinho finishes with 21 goals and 18 assists.
The Liverpool No.10 was averaging over four shots and attempted close to eight dribbles on a per 90 basis. He’d never previously posted those numbers and he’s not managed to in the seasons since he left Anfield. Klopp had found a way to get the best out of a player who had been something of an enigma and, it is odd to think back to now, he was the main man in what was one of the best attacks in Europe.
Barcelona wanted success in the Champions League and made a big play for the in-form attacker. Dubbed the heir to Andrés Iniesta at the Camp Nou, the LaLiga outfit met Liverpool’s demands to secure the signature of the player they’d courted for 12 months. They agreed to a package worth £140million and agreed to pay a £90million premium if they attempted to sign any player owned by the Reds before 2020.
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Nike reportedly got involved to ensure the deal happened. The club wanted Coutinho to replace compatriot Neymar, both on and off the pitch. The sportswear giant was more than happy to unite one of their clients with arguably their biggest club.
We’re now close to the three year anniversary of Coutinho’s departure and it’s safe to say that he’s never hit the heights expected of him. Whenever the transfer window opens, his name is one of the first linked with a move away from Barcelona. He spent the 2019/20 campaign on loan with FC Bayern and despite posting impressive numbers, he failed to make himself invaluable to Hansi Flick’s side.
He’s now back at Barca and he’s featured in 575 minutes of LaLiga action. They’re still yet to figure out how best to use their most expensive signing and it’ll likely continue to be the case for as long as Lionel Messi is turning out for the Catalan-based club.
For Liverpool, Coutinho was allowed a lot more freedom than most in red. He’d start on the left, but would naturally drift inside. Alberto Moreno would provide the width and his overlapping runs often created space for the midfield maverick. Klopp would then ensure that one of his midfielders plugged that space on the left. Firmino would pop up all over the final third and this allowed his compatriot to occupy pockets in and around the final third.
Those at Anfield trusted him to make something happen. He was expected to make something happen. At Barcelona, players give Messi the ball and do whatever is required to make it easy for the legendary Argentine. This isn’t to say Coutinho is on Messi’s level, just they do share traits and it’s near impossible to fit both into the same XI without one suffering. There’s only going to be one loser when someone comes up against Barca’s greatest ever player.
Since the move to the Camp Nou, Coutinho has averaged fewer shots, fewer dribbles, more passes but fewer into the final third. He’s seeing more of the ball but doing less with it. His game is built around risk and output. An example of this is, while calling Anfield home, despite playing in the attack, 22% of his passes were played into the final third. Since the move to Barcelona, this average has dropped to 9%.
That version of Liverpool was built to play transitional football. He thrived in the chaos. It’s the polar opposite of how Barcelona are. The Catalan club is all about ball dominance and possession. Coutinho has failed to live up to the hype and the price-tag because their style clashes with what he’s all about. They wanted him to be something he isn’t, they needed him to be something he’s never been and they’re judging him on something he can’t be.
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