How could Barcelona flop Philippe Coutinho fit in at Liverpool IF Jurgen Klopp brought the midfielder back to Anfield?
Philippe Coutinho is currently at the bottom of a very low ebb in his career.After getting his dream move to Barcelona from Liverpool, the midfielder appears to have become an expensive mistake.Seen by many as the natural replacement for Andres Iniesta, Coutinho was booed by his own supporters after being booked against lowly Alaves.
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6Philippe Coutinho has struggled during his 18-month spell at BarcelonaAnd it seems as though the 26-year-old has hit rock bottom.The 142million midfielder has asked to leave Barcelona this summer, according to
Cadena SER.Coutinho has lifted two LaLiga titles since his lucrative move from Liverpool in 2018, but was subject to jeers from his own fans after a humiliating Champions League exit at Anfield last season. The Brazil international only managed five goals and two assists during the campaign and his future is said to be unclear.Cadena, however, reckon he has asked officials for a move to reignite his career.Given his relatively pleasant exit from Anfield, a return to Liverpool has been mooted by some sections of the press and now bookmakers.Former teammate Jamie Carragher even admitted he would be happy to see the former Kop idol return.
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6Speaking to Liverpool Echo, he said: “I wouldnt say I would be actively going to get him, but if there was a possibility of bringing Coutinho back for decent money, and Barca wanted to cut their losses a little bit because it hasnt worked out, then Id do that.“Would he be welcomed back? Im not sure. But he should be. I dont see any reason why he shouldnt be.
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6Coutinho was adored by the red half of Merseyside“I know he got a little bit of stick when he came back (with Barcelona for the Champions League semi-final earlier this month) because he wanted to move.”So could Jurgen Klopp wrangle the little magician back into his side, or are Liverpool just too strong now without him?Below, talkSPORT.com looks at the potential ways in which Coutinho could slot into the European champion’s starting XI.
Back to basics
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6Cutting in from the left, Coutinho was lethal for Liverpool during his five-year stintBefore leaving for Barca, Klopp deployed Coutinho on the left hand side of a 4-3-3 and granted him the freedom to drift inside and into a more conventional No.10 role.In doing so, it created space out wide for an overlapping full-back. This is the role he currently plays for Barcelona and it has helped Jordi Alba record a huge number of goals and assists as he uses his pace to rampage down the wing.
Liverpool launch their brand new away kit for the 19-20 season While Andy Robertson requires very little encouragement to bomb forward and create, linking up with Coutinho again could grant the Scotland captain even more space out wide.However, unless Sadio Mane leaves this summer, there is simply no way Coutinho usurps him. The Senegal striker scored 22 goals in the Premier League last season and is in the running with Virgil Van Dijk for the Ballon d’Or.
Switch it up
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6As well as Shaqiri played this season, Coutinho is a far better replacementWhen Liverpool have found it hard to play against teams this season, it has tended to be against sides who have sat back and tried to frustrate the Reds. Given the pace they have up front, this is a savvy tactic.In order to combat that, Klopp would occasionally alter his side from an intense 4-3-3 to a more prosaic 4-2-3-1. In the central attacking role behind either Mohamed Salah or Roberto Firmino, Xherdan Shaqiri was entrusted with the conductor’s baton in an attempt to orchestrate the attack and create a crescendo in the opposition box.While Shaqiri performed admirably during his brief cameo appearances from the bench (most notably when he turned Man United into Swiss cheese back in December) Coutinho is a level or two above.But given’s Klopp insistence on playing 4-3-3 and implementing ‘
gegenpressing‘ on the opposition, it begs the question; Would he spend so much on a Plan B?
The Wildcard
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6Robertson and Alexander-Arnold would benefit massively from this formationAs mentioned previously, Klopp enjoys having a Plan B in his back pocket for when teams sit deep against the Reds. And it is not as if the German could ever be described as a ‘conformist’.The formation depicted above may look complicated, but it has been used by Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham Hotspur for years. By having two disciplined central midfielders in front of a back three, it allows your attacking players to thrive.Furthermore, it grants your wing-backs the licence to bomb forward knowing there is cover behind them. Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Between them last season, they racked up an incredible 29 assists in 88 combined appearances in all competitions for Liverpool.With Coutinho and Roberto Firmino in behind either Salah or Mane, the Reds could be both unstoppable and impenetrable. A frightening prospect.
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