Thursday 28 February 2013

Philippe Coutinho- The next big thing?






Philippe Coutinho was brought in to Liverpool near the end of the January Transfer window, bought from Inter Milan for £8.5million. He is only 20 years of age has shown great potential in his first few games for the club. Could he play a vital part in getting us back to the Champions League soon?

One of the key things that has struck me about Coutinho since he joined Liverpool in his confidence. He hasn’t been scared to take players on 1 on 1, and has tried some audacious skills (most notably an attempted Rabona shot which went just wide). This is a good sign, as it shows he has self-confidence, and is not afraid to try things. This should allow him to reach his full potential. Take Luis Suarez as an example. A lot of the things he tries don’t come off, but they are definitely worth it for the things that do! An attacking player who is afraid of being audacious is, in general, not worth having.

Another great thing is his age. From what I have seen, it appears Coutinho bridges the gap between getting talent here and now but also investing in potential. At only 20 years of age, Coutinho certainly has the capacity to improve as a player. He will also be able to adapt to the teams style of play, which will of course be an improvement. However, he is currently a very good player. Bringing him has made a noticeable positive impact on the team, which is a very good thing. Basically, it seems we may have managed to sign a very good player who’s going to get better!

As well as this, he provides another option for Brendan Rodgers. Coutinho is an attacking midfielder, which opens up a lot of possibilities for Rodgers in terms of formations he can use. Before Coutinho’s signing, the midfield was nearly always Lucas and Gerrard central, with Downing and Henderson out wide. Now, Rodgers can choose to play with 3 central midfielders, or 1 central attacking and 2 wide. In essence, it provides a lot of variation, which will make us hard to predict and therefore hard to beat. Coutinho also allows Rodgers some back-up in case of injury or suspension, and the option to rotate the squad.

In conclusion, Coutinho is a very talented player who has a lot of potential. He is not afraid to try his luck with audacious skills, and he provides Rodgers with lots of new options. For just £8.5 million, I think he is a great buy, and if all turns out well he may become an integral part of the team within a few years.

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