Philippe Coutinho returned to action after over a month out when he came on as a half-time substitute in Liverpool’s 2-0 defeat at Arsenal on Saturday.
The 21-year-old Brazilian replaced Aly Cissokho to help bolster Liverpool’s attacking options, but despite some moments of promise, Liverpool failed to break through the Gunners’ resolute defence.
It was Coutinho’s first appearances since suffering a should injury against Swansea City back in September, and whilst he troubled Arsenal, his passes looked somewhat rusty.
Brendan Rodgers spoke to the club’s official website after the defeat in North London and explained why he introduced Coutinho to the game.
“To get even 45 minutes out of him was good because he only got clearance on his shoulder on Tuesday,” he said.
“So there’s no way he could have been able to play more than the length of time that he did.
“The system that we have been playing has worked really well and I think in every system you can get exposed, and in the system that we play that can happen on the sides.
“In parts of the first half, I wasn’t so happy because they had good possession and were able to exploit us in that area – hence the reason why we made the change.”
Take a look at the individual highlights video above and let us know your thoughts on Coutinho’s comeback performance in the comments below.
petikan dari Liverpool FC, This is Anfield, Teamtalk
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