On Monday, Liverpool attacker Philippe Coutinho put in an excellent attacking performance against Arsenal, and bar the crossbar, and a world-class save from Petr Cech, he would've ended the game with two goals. Fast-forward five days, and he struggled to make an impact at home against West Ham. Inconsistency is the bane of Coutinho's game, and it's the reason why his goals/assists return for Liverpool continues to be average. Coutinho arguably outshone Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez at the Emirate, but overall, is he a better player? According to Reds fans, the answer is a resounding YES.
I conducted a poll this week asking that very question, and the result was emphatic:
This is Liverpool-themed website, so the results are somewhat unsurprising, in my view, there's no way that Coutinho - described by Reds legend John Aldridge as a 'genius' - is better than Sanchez.
An attacking player's primary role is to score/create goals, and in this regard, 'world-class' Sanchez is streets ahead of Coutinho. Comparative stats:
SANCHEZ
* 38 goals/assists in 56 apps for Arsenal (Goal/assist every 1.4 games)
* Scores/creates a goal every 119 minutes.
* Last Season: 36 goals/assists in 49 apps (Goal/assist every 1.3 games)
* Scored/created a goal every 115 minutes (79 chances created)
* Career Total: 169 goals/assists in 339 games (Goal/assist every 131 mins)
COUTINHO
* 38 goals/assists in 106 apps for Liverpool (Goal/assist every 3.8 games)
* Scores/creates a goal every 207 minutes.
* Last Season: 13 goals/assists in 52 apps (Goal/assist every 4 games)
* Scored/created a goal ever 313 minutes (59 chances created)
* Career Total: 56 goals/assists in 188 apps (Goal/assist every every 220 mins)
Over their whole careers (and in recent years) Sanchez scores/creates more goals per minute than Coutinho; completes more successful dribbles per game, and also creates more chances (This season: Coutinho = 2 chances created in 4 games. Sanchez = 5 chances created in 4 games).
On the defensive side, Opta stats show that Sanchez - who cost Arsenal £35m - is also the superior performer (overall), though this season, both players are achieving similar stats for blocks, interceptions, clearances, recoveries etc.
£30m-rated Coutinho is exciting to watch, and I'm glad he plays for Liverpool, but, based on objective comparison, it's not really accurate to say that he's 'better' than Sanchez.
As the poll shows, 62% of the 8000+ participants claim that Coutinho is 'better', so my question is this: on what basis?
If anyone who voted in Coutinho's favour can answer that, then I'm listening.
On a related note: Coutinho cost significantly less (£8m) than Sanchez (£35m), so for the money, Liverpool still have a major bargain.
Author: Jaimie K
I conducted a poll this week asking that very question, and the result was emphatic:
This is Liverpool-themed website, so the results are somewhat unsurprising, in my view, there's no way that Coutinho - described by Reds legend John Aldridge as a 'genius' - is better than Sanchez.
An attacking player's primary role is to score/create goals, and in this regard, 'world-class' Sanchez is streets ahead of Coutinho. Comparative stats:
SANCHEZ
* 38 goals/assists in 56 apps for Arsenal (Goal/assist every 1.4 games)
* Scores/creates a goal every 119 minutes.
* Last Season: 36 goals/assists in 49 apps (Goal/assist every 1.3 games)
* Scored/created a goal every 115 minutes (79 chances created)
* Career Total: 169 goals/assists in 339 games (Goal/assist every 131 mins)
COUTINHO
* 38 goals/assists in 106 apps for Liverpool (Goal/assist every 3.8 games)
* Scores/creates a goal every 207 minutes.
* Last Season: 13 goals/assists in 52 apps (Goal/assist every 4 games)
* Scored/created a goal ever 313 minutes (59 chances created)
* Career Total: 56 goals/assists in 188 apps (Goal/assist every every 220 mins)
Over their whole careers (and in recent years) Sanchez scores/creates more goals per minute than Coutinho; completes more successful dribbles per game, and also creates more chances (This season: Coutinho = 2 chances created in 4 games. Sanchez = 5 chances created in 4 games).
On the defensive side, Opta stats show that Sanchez - who cost Arsenal £35m - is also the superior performer (overall), though this season, both players are achieving similar stats for blocks, interceptions, clearances, recoveries etc.
£30m-rated Coutinho is exciting to watch, and I'm glad he plays for Liverpool, but, based on objective comparison, it's not really accurate to say that he's 'better' than Sanchez.
As the poll shows, 62% of the 8000+ participants claim that Coutinho is 'better', so my question is this: on what basis?
If anyone who voted in Coutinho's favour can answer that, then I'm listening.
On a related note: Coutinho cost significantly less (£8m) than Sanchez (£35m), so for the money, Liverpool still have a major bargain.
Author: Jaimie K
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