Philippe Coutinho was something of an unknown quantity when he joined Liverpool in the 2013 January transfer window. People seemed to know what he should be like as a player, but no-one really knew if he had it within him to display his obvious natural talent on a weekly basis at the top level.
Background
Once touted as the top Brazilian player of his generation, Coutinho was snapped up by Internazionale at the age of just sixteen, with the Milan club so convinced by his talent that they were willing to put their faith in him two years before he’d be able to join them.
As with most Brazilian players, he wasn't able to move to Europe until his 18th birthday, so he stayed at his home town club Vasco da Gama in Rio de Janeiro, effectively on loan until he turned eighteen.
To break his pre-Liverpool playing history down into an easily digestible paragraph would be quite difficult, but I’ve previously written about that here so that gives me an easy way out. To summarise, he had limited chances at Inter, did well for Brazil at U-20 level, and an impressive but brief period on loan at Espanyol is what might have convinced Brendan Rodgers to take a chance on him. What we really want to know now is how much Coutinho will contribute to the team moving into the new season.
First Season at Liverpool
It was originally thought that Coutinho’s first six months at the club would be nothing more than a bedding-in period, and we’d see the Brazilian in sporadic bursts, making the odd substitute appearance and maybe starting the odd game against “weaker” opposition.
Instead he dove straight into the number ten shirt and we were treated to a master class of creative football, initially from an inside left position, but eventually, and most effectively from the central position more befitting of his shirt number.
What to Expect
It could be that the stop-start nature of his early career at Inter has driven Coutinho on to make a success of himself at Liverpool, as he’s become one of the team’s key players so early in his time at the club. It could even be argued that he was our best player last season, despite only being around for half of it. Fans will be hoping for more of the same in the new season, but what is this “same” and would it be reasonable to expect it?
A second season is like a recording artist’s second album, in the sense that everyone already knows what you can do and how good you are, but now people will expect you to keep up this previous form, and then become even better. The critics will be sharpening their metaphorical pencils ready to write about a lucky first season, and Robert Huth will be doing a few extra bench presses in the hope of knocking this over-rated footballing type down to the floor. The backlash starts here.
The sign of a truly great player is one who takes this on the chin and goes about his business in the same way, despite the increase in pressure and expectation, and despite the fact that opposition players may know more about the way he plays.
Luckily for Coutinho, his eye for a pass is so great that he can usually get rid of the ball before the defender gets near him. It’s almost like having the passing brain of Xabi Alonso further up the field, where the ranging through balls once executed by the Spaniard have morphed into shorter more Brazilian type touches, which make playing game of football that little bit easier and more pleasurable for his team-mates.
Add to this his unquestionable technique, decent shot, and a stereotypical Brazilian tendency to perform the unexpected, and you get a player who should be able to hold his own despite his perceived lack of strength.
But what if it goes in the other direction, where Coutinho was indeed just a half season wonder, unable to cope with the resultant expectation and increased pressure from opponents? We’ve seen instances in the odd game last season where Coutinho just can’t get into the game, most notably against Chelsea where he was withdrawn at half time. This is where the support of his manager will come into play, and Brendan Rodgers seems like a boss who’s ideally suited to developing and managing young players.
If Liverpool spends £20 million plus on a Mkhitaryan type player who can play in a similar role to Coutinho, then this could help ease the burden in terms of both expectation and physical playing time. Under these circumstances the determined, diminutive Brazilian, might just be Liverpool’s stand-out player for the second season in a row.
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