Been at Barca only 6 months but you can see his mentality has been enhanced. Never underestimate what winning things can do for confidence.
Philippe Coutinho Barcelona Player
- Thread starter Damien
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Don’t think his talent was doubted but he had serious consistency issues.
Liverpool had serious consistency issues. It was always blatantly obvious he was going to be a star though. Especially in his last season and a half with them.
It’s actually really fecking annoying the calibre of attacking footballers they’ve signed in recent years. Suarez, then Coutinho, then Salah. Firminho and Mané are a bit special too.
I don’t know, I found he went missing in games a hell of a lot. The talent was always there with him, most had heard of him before he joined Inter and it was baffling why they never gave him a proper chance. Last season before he moved to Barca he was frightingly good and I’m glad he didn’t get longer under Klopp.
I agree with the second paragraph although I feel Klopp gets the absolute best out of his attacking players and credit to him for that. I don’t think the likes of Firmino or Mane would replicate their form with us under Mourinho.
Great player, glad to see him doing so well especially since he hasn’t really been missed at Liverpool. Good move for everyone involved.
He plays as a LW/RW in a 442 for Barca... He is better as a LCM (like Pogba/Iniesta/Isco), he plays there for Brazil.
Yeah, true. Suarez and Torres pre-dated Klopp though. Just seems like they’ve signed a procession of brilliant, genuinely world class, attacking footballers while we’re still waiting for the heir apparent to Rooney/Ronaldo. Who were both signed absolutely fecking ages ago.
This might be just my post-Fergie negativity talking, mind you!
He was perfect for us. Literally the perfect upgrade on Isco. And we let him go to those....
Isco is class too though (and spanish). Why would you want to upgrade on him with a marginally better (if that). He's unplayable on his day aswell.
You’re right tbh. We have definitely lacked truly exciting attacking players over the past good few years while Liverpool have had quite a-few. At the moment though, I do feel Klopp is getting the absolute best of the the likes of Mane, Firmino and Salah. I don’t know if any of those three would fare as well elsewhere under a more rigid setup.
Maybe. Weren’t the three of them all incredibly productive at their previous clubs too?
Mane was a-bit erratic at Southampton and Salah was good at Roma but his numbers last season were ridiculous. Klopp has serious deficiencies IMO but feck me, he can get the most of his attacking players.
I think they were all decent but stepped it up a fair bit with us. Salah and Firmino's numbers have improved a lot (although it remains to be seen if Salah was a one off).
I remember seeing something about Firminho having the best assists rate in the Bundesliga (or was it key passes?) and Salah’s stats improving rapidly, year on year, to make this season not a complete outlier. Obviously I hope it is!
Most chances actually.
Mind you, Kagawa and Mkhitaryan probably had similarly impressive stats in Germany
Mind you, Kagawa and Mkhitaryan probably had similarly impressive stats in Germany
Firmino I’m unsure on tbh so I can’t comment. I started the original Salah thread while he was at Roma and his numbers were steadily improving. But last season he was fecking insanely good and Klopp has to take credit for that.
It would be quite something if Barcelona ends up on the winning end of Coutinho-Neymar "trade". While i still feel Neymar is a level above pure talent wise, he does have issues with showboating and decision making.
Move hasn't worked out so far, can't get into the side. We've been linked to him today, would you take him?
Don't want. Would be funny for a week or so, just to see all the mad scousers, but I honestly don't think he would fit our team. We need defenders and a right winger, and last I checked, Coutinho was not a right winger.
He would play in the same spaces as Pogba, so it wouldn't work in midfield. In terms of the wing, we don't need another player that prefers the LW.
Wouldn't mind a straight swap with Mata or Fellaini.
Only if they throw a few quid our way too.
Signing an ex Liverpool player is all kinds of wrong.
I saw the MEN were reporting this rumour. It's not going to happen. He was £135m? So a very expensive option, even at say £100m? Extent player, but he plays where we are strongest, he plays in Pogba/ Martial territory.
Weird he can't get in the team. Last season he was one of the better players
Benched for 4 matches in a row. Benching Pogba is bad enough, but benching a 150m player who is in his prime? Fecking hell
Nonsensical drivel but makes a good headline
Many of my culé friends are irritated that Valverde has no idea how to use him.
I still laugh at the talk from Barca fans, who said Messi needs to do everything by himself, Suarez is shit, the squad is shit etc etc
It's 3 attackers worth 380m euros combined plus Messi on top. They should be flying and aim for the treble.It’s a bit sad considering he’s exactly the kind of player we could do with in midfield right now.
You are doing pretty well without him.
Not him having yearn for a move away every other week has probably helped squad morale too.
Another player who was left without position after every big team essentially switched to 4-3-3. Brazil was using him at the wing with 3 CMs, but after Augusto got injured they were forced to play 4-2-3-1 with him in the midfield and the coach said after the world cup that it fecked with their balance.
He is still playable because he is also a half-winger and he has destroyed tottenham at that position in wembley, you lose some pace with him at the wing but Barca has so much of the ball it doesn't really matter. Won't surprise me if he replaces Ousmane in the latter stages of the season, if they need more control.
He is still playable because he is also a half-winger and he has destroyed tottenham at that position in wembley, you lose some pace with him at the wing but Barca has so much of the ball it doesn't really matter. Won't surprise me if he replaces Ousmane in the latter stages of the season, if they need more control.
I think he’s an unbelievable player and it’s very strange to me that Barça haven’t really played him in a 3 man midfield with Arthur & Busquets.
Would absolutely love him here. Would p*ss off the scousers to no end, but if I’m honest we don’t really have a huge need for him. I’m not convinced he’d suit playing next to Pogba.
Would absolutely love him here. Would p*ss off the scousers to no end, but if I’m honest we don’t really have a huge need for him. I’m not convinced he’d suit playing next to Pogba.
Never going to happen.
Don’t need him but we do need Dembele
This has Ed’s imbecilic-transfer-strategy prints all over it
Tbh they might be complaining about the style, but still they’re top of the league with few points above Atleti, still in the cup and arguably top1-top2 favorite to win the CL. With Messi in such form they’re more than capable of getting the treble.I still laugh at the talk from Barca fans, who said Messi needs to do everything by himself, Suarez is shit, the squad is shit etc etc
Liverpool robbed them here, couldn't believe how stupid Barcelona are to pay that much for Coutinho.
He was never one of their better players, maybe just at some easy spells.
He was never one of their better players, maybe just at some easy spells.
Don't know if they are tactically as good as Liverpool, City, Juventus
Still they have the quality to win everything
I still laugh at the talk from Barca fans, who said Messi needs to do everything by himself, Suarez is shit, the squad is shit etc etc
It's literally just Messi for years, Suarez improved this year but he was really average for a long time. Messi is directly involved in 26 of their goals in La Liga. Real Madrid have scored 26 goals in total.