Philippe Coutinho has been the Premier League's stand-out player of 2015. Adam Bate looks at how his potential has been unleashed at Liverpool.
It's been quite a start to 2015 for Philippe Coutinho. After agreeing a new five-and-a-half year deal with Liverpool in February, he curled home a last-minute winner in their FA Cup replay against Bolton the very next day. Exactly one month on and there have been further outrageous strikes to help see off both Southampton and Premier League champions Manchester City.
Amid the understandable excitement, it seems extraordinary that Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher was accusing Coutinho of being "unforgivable, lazy and weak" in the wake of a resounding defeat to Manchester United as recently as December. But while that was an uncharacteristic blemish given that Coutinho was already in good form, it also marked a turning point for both player and club.
The subsequent 11 Premier League matches have brought 27 points - six more than the previous 16 - and that drastic improvement has been mirrored by Coutinho's increased output too. This run has included three Premier League goals and four assists after contributing only a solitary effort, albeit the dramatic winner against Queens Park Rangers, in his 13 appearances prior to that.
As a result, the significance of Brendan Rodgers' decision to switch formations that month can hardly be overstated. Rodgers used the 3-4-3 system at Anfield for the first time in the 2-2 draw against Arsenal in December with Coutinho operating on the left of a front three. He was arguably man of the match in a game in which he also opened the scoring.
After struggling to hit it off with lone forward Rickie Lambert when used as a more traditional No.10 in the previous two home games against Stoke and Sunderland, the opportunity to pick up pockets of space in the left channel has been one he's relished. With the fluidity of movement back in Liverpool's game, Coutinho has come into his own.
The 22-year-old seems set to be named the club's official player of the month for a third successive time and that's in part due to Rodgers' tweaking. "Our system has been causing teams problems all year," said Adam Lallana after the win over City. "The manager said keep patient and find the space." With Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge fit again, there's been more of it.
Crucially, as Carragher points out, Coutinho has now got the runners to make that space count by providing penetration. "What he's got now is someone who's looking to penetrate and go behind," said Carragher. "That's affected Steven Gerrard in that deeper role but earlier on in the season I think it affected Coutinho as well. He didn't have the pass on."
The throughballs are flowing now. He's made more than twice as many of them as any team-mate and although Sterling has more assists, it's Coutinho who has created more clear chances. Like his Liverpool colleague, he ranks among the top five dribblers in the Premier League, with a better completion rate than the England man. He's become a key weapon for his team.
Of course, it takes time to become an overnight success and for Coutinho that hard work has long been a feature of his game. It's been evident when asked to occupy a deeper role that his enthusiasm for the dirty work is not typical of what might be expected of a player who is ostensibly a Brazilian playmaker with the No 10 on his back.
"What everybody was saying when he came to the Premier League was that perhaps he was too light," recalls Spanish football expert and boyhood Espanyol fan Guillem Balague. "But I was convinced - and said so at the time - that he was going to be a success. At Espanyol we hadn't seen a player who would get the ball in the final third and see gaps that nobody else could find."
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino was the man who took him to Espanyol on loan from Inter on the advice of his right-hand man Ramon Planes and the player responded with five goals in 16 appearances as he settled quickly in Barcelona. Even Pochettino admits he was a little surprised by the skill-set of the player he'd acquired.
"Philippe is a Brazilian player and, as it happens with most Brazilians, he has a special magic in his feet," said Pochettino. "Aside from the magic that he has, he also has an amazing work rate and that makes us doubt whether he fits the mould of a typical Brazilian player or a European one, because his work ethic is outstanding.
"What is important about him is he is a good lad, a good kid - a great, humble person. I do think Coutinho has that same quality that Ronaldinho and Messi have, but he has much to prove yet. What is really clear to me is that Coutinho is a really responsible player - really dedicated and responsible to his own players."
Perhaps the surprising blend of qualities that Coutinho now possesses can be explained by the fact that the Brazil international has been exposed to Europe's three major leagues before turning 21. The old mantra that England is physical, Spain is technical and Italy is tactical would suggest he's had a unique opportunity to learn and it was a Spaniard well-known to Liverpool who helped him mature during his time in Italy.
"I feel I have improved already in terms of understanding the European game," Coutinho told The Guardian last season. "Rafa Benitez helped me quite a lot with that when I was at Inter. In Brazil, if you play where I do, you are not expected to track back or defend in any way. You are an attacker and that's it. Only technically are you part of a team.
"When I worked with Rafa he changed that mentality straight away. I became more of a team player rather than an individual, saw the game in a different way and was encouraged to move the ball a bit quicker and look for different passes. I have to say I think I prefer the European style now. You move faster, think more quickly and are involved in the game more."
Spotlight
After being under the radar for some time - arguably the least heralded player among Liverpool's front six on their truncated charge towards the title last season - Coutinho now finds himself firmly in the spotlight. Indulging in what Lallana called "his own goal of the month competition" will do that and Rodgers is ambitious enough to now want more from the man he signed two years ago.
"He joined us for £8.5million," said the Liverpool boss at the weekend. "It's frightening to know what he could be worth now. He's a joy to watch and now he's started scoring goals. He's a kid who has so much ahead of him in the game. He's 22 and people forget he came to us at 19. He is a sensational footballer. His technique is at a high high level, so he's going to score a lot more goals."
That's easy to say but can be trickier to do. And yet, what seems apparent is that although it might have felt like Coutinho's progress has been staccato-like in its nature, this is a quick learner. He's adapted his approach to succeed in Europe and then developed further to impress in a number of positions in England. If Rodgers wants goals, Coutinho will find a way.
"I always work hard, but of course there are always things to improve and one of them is to score more goals," he said in mid-February. "I have been working on that and in my position that is important. That is something I should improve."
He promptly went and rattled in a couple of long-range efforts in his next two Premier League games. The rise of Coutinho might not be over yet.
By Adam Bate
petikan dari LiverpoolTeamTalk
About the Author
0 comments: