Philippe Coutinho

Watford 3 Liverpool 3: A Tactical Breakdown

Completely bewildering, yet almost oxymoronically, so very familiar; Liverpool's 3-3 draw was, for the most part, a frustrating game, with a blisteringly good period of play for Liverpool sandwiched between two periods that were hard to watch. To really understand how the game progressed, and key points within it, we shall look at the goals,...

Stay Calm and Trust Klopp

It's an obvious thing to state and it can perhaps come across as being somewhat condescending, but the transfer window does not close until 11pm UK time on Thursday 31st August. So, at the time of writing this, there's still nearly three more weeks to go. However, it seems that final judgement, in all...

Is Naby Keita the Phil Coutinho Replacement?

Will this transfer window end? First Liverpool were getting van Dijk, then they were apologising for getting van Dijk, then they were getting Keita, then they weren’t getting Keita at any price. Salah seemed to take a millennium, Liverpool effectively traded a bang-average Kevin Stewart for a potential-laden Andy Robertson, and the future of Phillipe...

Philippe Coutinho: Should He Stay or Should He Go?

Earlier this week it was reported Philippe Coutinho would only leave Liverpool if a deal was to be done amicably. This ensured the ball was in the club’s court. As long as we reject any offers, Coutinho would remain a Liverpool player come the start of September. A morning and afternoon of twists and turns...

Selling Coutinho Hurts Liverpool’s Rising Image

In January of 2013, when Liverpool announced the signing of a young Brazilian playmaker from Inter Milan, I read the article on my computer screen and said "Coutin-who?" I knew I'd heard the name, knew it had been associated with words like "flop" and "bust," and when I heard he had joined for around £8.5...

Losing Close-To-World-Class Coutinho Would Be Unbearable

With the great players, you can see the moment at which they are about to become genuinely world-class. With Steven Gerrard, it was 2004/05, when he matured from being one of Europe’s best young midfielders to one of the finest players on the entire planet. Luis Suarez did it in 2013/14 - it should never forgotten...

Milner in midfield – masterstroke or massive gamble?

After Liverpool won their final game of pre-season against Athletic Bilbao 3-1, Jürgen Klopp hinted that Alberto Moreno has managed to save his Liverpool future and that as a result, James Milner will be used in his more natural position in midfield this season, allowing Moreno and Robertson to fight over the left back...

Daniel Sturridge: Liverpool’s Potentially World-Class Wildcard

There were a couple of moments at the end of last season that seemed to save Daniel Sturridge’s Liverpool career. By the time the crucial trip to West Ham rolled around on May 14th, the general consensus was that Sturridge’s continued fitness woes had left him surplus to requirements, with a move elsewhere likely this...

Assessing Liverpool’s Attack For The Upcoming Season

In many respects, Liverpool were well equipped in the attacking department last season. Philippe Coutinho on the left wing, Sadio Mane on the right and Roberto Firmino through the middle, The Reds caused teams havoc on the counter-attacking. Divock Origi and Daniel Sturridge provided Jurgen Klopp with some rotational options, particularly in the closing stages...

The Importance of Keeping Coutinho

In recent years, Liverpool have acted too much like a small club in the transfer market. The club has developed a reputation for signing high potential players to eventually sell-on for higher fees once those players reach close to their maximum output. Since 2009, Liverpool have lost Xabi Alonso, Mascherano, Sterling, Torres and Luis...