Lionel Messi transfer proves Liverpool right over Philippe Coutinho

Lionel Messi transfer proves Liverpool right over Philippe Coutinho

Liverpool Echo Sports·2021-08-18 18:00

"Give the ball to Phil."That - according to Jürgen Klopp's own words - was Liverpool's means of solving difficult on-pitch problems for the majority of his early tenure at the club. The Brazilian had outlasted the likes of Luis Suárez and Raheem Sterling at Anfield, with Steven Gerrard departing for the United States and Daniel Sturridge struggling to make himself available often enough, so he began to run his team's attack.A dominant offensive player, Coutinho's skillset is unique, but it can be awkward to accommodate; he assumes the form of a left-sided forward who also wants to occupy central midfield spaces, and he's naturally inclined to see lots of the ball while accumulating bags of shots high up the field.His last full campaign in England saw him average around 4.3 shots per 90, behind only Sergio Agüero in the Premier League and marginally ahead of Zlatan Ibrahimovi and Harry Kane. It was telling that Coutinho was surrounded by strikers in the shooting department but unlike those players, he averaged roughly 50 passes on a per-90 basis. There are some players who share his tendency to oversee possession while attempting to score frequently, such as Bruno Fernandes, Kevin De Bruyne and Lorenzo Insigne, but those types are generally less abundant than those who tick one box but not the other.Read MoreRelated ArticlesRead MoreRelated ArticlesHe was influential enough to demand a large slice of the attacking pie for Liverpool and his national side, being granted a tailored role which allowed him to flutter between attack and midfield from the left. At Barcelona, such a place was solely granted to a certain Lionel Messi.Coutinho's move to Spain was supposed to be a dream, but it quickly descended into a nightmare largely as a consequence of Messi's dominance over the team's attack; the Argentine was a supercharged La Liga version of Coutinho, albeit from the right of the pitch rather than the left. Messi, the global face of Camp Nou, saw lots of the ball and generated even more shots for himself, and was free to combine that skillset with a tendency to drift around the valuable spaces of the final third.Coutinho, meanwhile, was forced to occupy a functional role under Ernesto Valverde due to Messi's presence, and was unable to showcase the magic and individual moments of brilliance that he'd previously produced on Merseyside due to those confines. He was forced to perform as though he was a mere mortal, which coincidentally is what Klopp forecasted when he told him: Go somewhere else, to Barcelona, to Bayern Munich, to Real Madrid, and you will be just another player. Here, they will end up building a statue in your honour.Read MoreRelated ArticlesRead MoreRelated ArticlesYears have passed since the transfer: Liverpool have lifted Premier League and Champions League titles with an offensive game built around collective qualities rather than an individual, while Messi has left the club he came to define. Yet Coutinho, rather than being recognised as the heir apparent to Messi's throne, is being linked with a move to Arsenal.Barcelona played against Real Sociedad on Sunday evening and won 4-2, with substitute Rey Minaj sporting the no.14 shirt the number usually held by Coutinho while the Brazilian international continued to return from injury behind the scenes. He could simply be in line for a new number under Ronald Koeman, but transfer rumours suggest otherwise.There is still time for him to be presented with a platform to conduct the attack of a top team as he did under Klopp, but his spellbinding performances look destined to remain in the past as he approaches the age of 30. Even Lionel Messi's departure cannot save him at Barcelona, and Liverpool will feel vindicated once again at the deal they struck.Read MoreRelated ArticlesRead MoreRelated Articles

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