The reasons why Philippe Coutinho failed in Barcelona and why Liverpool should sign it again

This week, Phillipe Coutinho returned to England to face Manchester United in the Champions League, but this time he did not wear the famous Liverpool red.

The last time the Brazilian went to Old Trafford in Europe, he had put pressure on David de Gea to get United out of the Europa League, but on Wednesday he was just a machine cog. from Erneste Valverde.

In truth, Coutinho could have ended up scoring the decisive goal once more if Luke Shaw had not deflected Luis Suarez's head past De Gea and into the net.

Coutinho was following the ball, but this time he had to settle for one of Manchester's actors, not the hero.

Philippe Coutinho opens his "dream" back to Anfield HERE

The 26-year-old was signed by the Spanish giants last season, but since then he has regressed and failed to make an impact on the club he wanted to sign, by submitting a request for transfer in previous months. The £ 142m fee is often underestimated, perhaps due to excessive PSG fees paid by Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

Coutinho is currently the third most expensive player in the history of football, but this season he has played as often as Fabinho for Liverpool.

But above all, Fabinho spent a lot of time learning the patterns and subtleties of Jurgen Klopp's system behind the scenes, especially at the beginning of the season, and he only arrived in the summer.

Coutinho, on the other hand, has been in Barcelona for over a year now and has appeared in virtually every league game this season, suggesting that understanding is not lacking. Despite this, however, the former Liverpool playmaker has only completed 90 minutes just seven times this season. The majority of his minutes were accumulated either as a substitute or as a starter before being eliminated.

What is the problem, then? Is Coutinho simply not good enough for Barcelona or is there anything else?

The problem stems mainly from a lack of relevance, as Coutinho has gradually become anfield player who needs a specific role that has almost been adapted to his needs. Klopp has offered the South American a lot of creative freedom in Merseyside, just like what Tite does when he is called on the national side.

He is a unique talent in that he is able to spread offshore and in central areas and he makes a lot of pbades for an attacker. In addition, there is the obvious positive that it is one of the best in the world for the execution of shots from a distance, with this expertise also being able to be translated when taking set kicks. .

However, these talents are much less valuable in Barcelona today, mainly because of two people – Valverde and Lionel Messi.

The head coach of Barcelona has maintained the basic principles of the Catalan club, but he has also set up a strict system, especially in defense, with the use of 4-4-2 or 4- 3-3. In this system, a player enjoys the creative freedom needed to do what he wants, and this player is Messi.

Messi essentially has the role that Coutinho needs to succeed, because he is adapted to his abilities, he is creative and his responsibilities are less strict. In addition, Messi makes free kicks every time he's on the pitch, and rightly so, given that the Argentinean has scored 20 over the past five seasons, which is more than any other player in the top five European leagues.

In the end, the presence of Messi makes Coutinho somewhat redundant and Valverde simply can not badign it another role, because the overall system must be preserved. As a result, Coutinho's production suffered, his attacking radar being illustrated below according to the minutes of the League.

This is largely why, over time, rumors surfaced about Coutinho's return to Anfield.

There must still be real hard evidence that he wants to leave and that Barcelona is even willing to sell it – but in the affirmative, should Liverpool allow his return?

The simple logical answer, without taking into account aspects such as cost and the way it initially forced its departure, is yes; Liverpool should definitely be interested in a new signature of his former No. 10.

Klopp currently has a strong team at his disposal, but several gaps will probably be solved this summer. The return of Coutinho alone would fill two of these voids.

First, another option is required for the offensive role of the left side in addition to Sadio Mane, because the Senegalese is the only real right foot of the club, with Divock Origi often in the role this season. If Mane does not play, the level of play drops dramatically.

Secondly, Liverpool needs a creative guy capable of playing in the midfield of the three. Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Fabinho and Gini Wijnaldum, for example, offer a lot, but little in terms of pure and simple invention and offensive threat.

Coutinho's signature would cover both needs in a fairly transparent way. In addition, it is worth considering that he is only 26 years old, which means that Liverpool will always be able to live his best years.

In addition, the Klopp team has scored only once in free-kicks in the Premier League this season, as well as five times out of the box. To compare, Man City scored 13 points outside the area, Arsenal 12, Manchester United 11, Spurs 10 and Chelsea 9.

Coutinho managed to score seven league goals for Liverpool last season before leaving in January – two of these came from outside the box, and two more free-kicks.

Once clubs have reached the stage of recruitment with which a solid core and base have been formed, team building can then be more about simply adding different tools and elements to some extent, so that manager be equipped for each scenario. The more a manager has tools, the more the team is able to solve problems.

The addition of Coutinho would bring a completely different element to what Liverpool currently has, in addition to filling two clear voids.

The only issue in dispute would be the amount requested by the Spanish club, but given its age and what it would offer, its price could be justified.

Liverpool has made progress since Coutinho's departure, reaching the final of the Champions League and competing for the two biggest club football awards this season.

This does not mean, however, that his return would be a step backward.