Barcelona have arranged an emergency meeting with the club record signing Philippe Coutinho.
It has hardly gone right for Philippe Coutinho upon his move to FC Barcelona last January window. The Brazilian, who moved to the reigning La Liga Champions has been struggling to find his feet this term, following a satisfying second part of last season.
He could have stayed at the Premier League, where he could have been regarded as arguably the best player in the country. During his last six months, he was thriving under the management of Jurgen Klopp before he decided to pursue his dream move to the Spanish giants.
Launching plenty of pile drivers by cutting in defenders through the left-hand side, the Blaugrana thought they had a replacement in Neymar. But, instead, he has struggled to stamp his authority in the starting eleven and has lost plenty of confidence in the process.
At one point of time, Philippe Coutinho was used a wide forward at Liverpool because the Reds did not have any wingers until they bought Sadio Mane. Even with the Senegal International at the club, he was deployed through the left flank because the former Southampton forward occupied the opposite flank.
The signing of Mohamed Salah saw the Brazilian being slotted into the midfield three. The Reds and Brazilian were scoring for fun, but they did not have much defensive stability. With the current system of 4-2-3-1, there is no doubt that he would have been a joy to watch as a number ten.
During the second part of the season with Barcelona, they utilized him through the right flank which did not get the best out of him. However, he has struggled as a left winger this season which is concerning the Blaugrana board.
Having lost his place to Ousmane Dembele in the attacking position, and Arturo Vidal in the midfield department, he has often been warming the bench these days.
According to the Spanish publication Sport, it is understood that the board has arranged a meeting between the player and manager to discover the underwhelming spell this season.
If Valverde plays to Coutinho’s strengths and alters his position, there is every chance of seeing him totally revitalized. The flexibility of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez is immense and they would fit in at every system.
Coutinho missed several chances during Barcelona’s 2-0 victory over Girona on Sunday. But, Valverde praised him for the performance.
“What I like about Coutinho is that he’s daring and he’s always prepared to take the opposition on.
“He makes things happen. After that, sometimes things go your way, sometimes they don’t. He’s had good chances and the fact that he’s getting into those positions one-on-one with the goalkeeper is really good. He’s not converted those chances this time, but he will.”
The Brazilian has been linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, and Chelsea in recent week, but the report also suggests that Barcelona are not willing to do business as they see tremendous potential in the forward.
