6 Apr 2013

'I'm still wary' - LFC hero admits 'scepticism' over Coutinho impact. Baseless...?

With two goals and three assists in his first five starts for the club, new Liverpool signing Philippe Coutinho has hit the ground running at Anfield, and quickly become an important part of the Reds' first team squad. Few will forget the Brazilian's stunning goal-creating pass against Aston Villa last weekend, but despite the youngster's brilliance, Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson has once again questioned why Inter Milan let the Brazilian leave so easily.

In his column for the Liverpool Daily Post yesterday, Lawro admitted that he has a little 'scepticism' over Coutinho, and admitted that he's 'still a little wary' about the Brazilian's ability to make a long-term impact. He explained:

"Leading Italian clubs don’t let their best players leave for a relatively small amount, so why would they [Inter Milan] let him go?

"It’s another classic example of everybody wanting to judge a player within five minutes of him pulling on an Liverpool shirt.

"Defenders are still learning about Coutinho, and I’m sure they will be better prepared to deal with him next season".


Lawro makes a good point: if Coutinho is such a star of the future, why did Inter let him go so easily? As a comparison, Barcelona's Cristian Tello is coveted across Europe, but the Catalans refuse to let him go, obviously because they can see that he will be a top player in the future.

It's not like Coutinho is a 17/18-year old rookie; he's 20 with some solid experience behind him, and some big names singing his praises. Most recently, Italian legend Marcelo Lippi enthused:

"[Coutinho] is player with excellent technical skills who can do great things"

Inter Milan striker Diego Milito is another fan of the youngster, and he recently said:

"Coutinho? He's a fantastic player. We all knew he was a bit special. The time in Spain has done him good. He's different to other players"

If Coutinho is 'fantastic', a 'bit special', and capable of doing 'great things', then why did Inter sell him so easily? Is it really as straightforward as the Serie A giants having financial problems, or is there more to it?

I think Lawro makes a good point overall though: it's way to early to be thinking about Coutinho as some kind of LFC saviour. Daniel Sturridge also started well, but he seems to have tailed off a little. The same applies to Raheem Sterling this season, and Jose Enrique last season.

If, as Lawro suggests, defenders work him out next season, will this curtail the effectiveness of his game, or is Coutinho good enough to deal with it. A good comparison would be David Silva at Man City: superb first season, but his influence has waned big time this year, mainly because defenders know how he plays and what to expect.

Conversely, Luis Suarez is in his second year at Liverpool, and defenders have had plenty of time to get used to him, but he's still banging-in the goals.

Lawro concedes, however that 'you can only judge Coutinho from what he does on the pitch', and with that in mind, it's definitely a case of so far, so good.





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39 comments:

  1. what i will say jaimie is clubs sometimes perform bizarre transfer dealings ....rogers was going to swap hendo and money for dempsey ...we paid 35m for carroll ...at liverpool we are known for selling cheap and buying expensive...maybe they just messed up

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  2. He's been brilliant so far, especially for a player of his age. I agree with your and Lawro's points and even think Suarez has been "found out" somewhat because he doesn't seem to be able to take the ball past 5 players as easily as he did in his first season. This is only natural because once the find out his tricks they will watch out for them. This also proves just how much quality Suarez has as a player because he still sits top of the goalscorers chart.
    Couthinho seems like an intelligent player and may only need one moment in a match to spot the pass. I suppose it's these passes players will start looking out for though.

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  3. Get off the back guy for god's sake. We all know Lawrence is a Man'ure supporter and will do anything to bring our club or player's down. Coutinho is a quality player with a lot of potential. Why did Inter let Sneijder go if he was a quality player? Absolutly stupid questions. He's here, and he is our player, so get behind him.

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  4. liverpool4life5653:17 pm, April 06, 2013

    This little guy is a class act, he will only improve.

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  5. You judge a player over many games in a season, not a handful. It looks good for Coutinho, but only time will tell.

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  6. Inter raising funds to sign.....Paulinho.

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  7. lets just hope he keeps up is good start that will do for me for now

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  8. Fair enough, it is too early to tell if he's going to be a star for LFC, but signs are positive so far.

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  9. Just maybe it's because Rogers speaks very good Spanish and can communicate very well with him. He becomes comfortable relaxed, feels at home. Same reason why the other Spanish speaking lads are doing so well

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  10. Clubs let good players all the time, for various reasons.. See Tom Ince... To judge his worth on that factor is very silly. The guy needs playing time and when Espanyol and LFC (not Inter) have given it to him, he's been up to the task..

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  11. Lawro and Nicol seem to have it in for every new player we get, we all know they where never true Reds, with Lawro definitely leaning towards the Manure. But they don't need Jaimie adding to the problem, I often wonder is he really a Red or an agent provocateur in our midst?

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  12. Ridiculous reasoning imo.
    Managers are human, they make mistakes same as everybody else.
    The fee has lttle to do with the outcome, when it is low or lowish, it only affexts things when it's high. Think Carroll, who would be bothered if he cost 3.5m rather than 35m.
    These things happen, they're called good scouting or opportunism.
    If Lawrenson's right, why was Michu only £2m? or Chicarito just a few mill? Sami Hypia was really cheap, mustr have been his bad attitude lol.
    Even if there were attitude problems, siometimes the right player at the right club works out fine. Think Cantona for instance.
    I've not seen a single quote saying Coutinho was anything but hardworking with excellent skills. Perhaps the manager just didn't see him fitting in with his plans. Or perhaps there was someone else he wanted for his position.
    Either way,it's been good news for us so far. And if it all goes wrong, we're not losing an absolute fortune like we will with Andy Carroll...

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  13. its a completely different situation for coutinho. coutinho is a 20 year old who is producing scitilating performances. both in la liga and the premier league. the fact that inter let him go has nothing to do with it. sometimes teams just dont want a certain player and anotther team would, its all about tactics, coutinho clearly suits rodgers tactics. plus inter wanted to raise money to sign paulinho from corinthians and saw him as someone who would change their team more than coutinho. this is how football works, luckily its worked in our favour, coutinho's vision is actually amazing. its not just the pass against villa, other passes he has attempted, the vision he has to see them is enoguh to say we have a quite a player on our hands. he still has 7-8 years to wait until he hits his prime and if he can do all of this now surely hes a star player. his movement and skills is also another asset of his.

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  14. What bodes well for Coutinho is that he is quick, mobile and a good dribbler but also has excellent vision. If you get tight, he can beat you and if you stand off, he can pick out a pass. His understanding with Suarez (and to a lesser extent Gerrard) bodes well.

    I'm not too concerned Inter sold him. Plenty of teams offload good players, only to regret it. Kevin Prince Boateng couldn't even get a squad number at one point at Spurs, but now plays for AC and has won Serie A. If you think about it, Coutinho impressed at Vasco and Espanyol, so Inter may well be the anomaly. He also moved to Inter just as their downward curve started and it is hard for a young player to step up in that situation, if the experienced players (like Sneijder) aren't doing it.

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  15. Despite being a liverpool great and despite there being a good point in there somewhere, Lawro always manages to sound wrong.

    Lets rewind 13 years and imagine what Lawro might have been saying back then...



    'Really, I mean if this Thierry Henry fella was any good, why would Juventus let him go? He doesn't look tough enough to withstand the rigours of the premiership and his first nine months have been distinctly underwhelming. Another mistake in the transfer market from a manager with no track record in the premiership..'


    Coutinho has been absolute class. He's not even fit!

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  16. So far so good, he has been class so far. I wouldn't be getting overly excited YET, but he was an incredible eye for a pass and no defenders an take that away form him!!!

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  17. Coutinhio is Brazillian and his native tongue is Portuguese. I guess he does speak some Spanish.

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  18. He is a 20 year old player. 8.5 mil is still a lot of money. Someone else's loss is our gain. Look at it this way. If we sold him this summer, he could be worth at least 12 mil. Good piece of business right JK??

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  19. I dont really care why Inter let him go,He's turning out to be a very,very good buy,We'll really see if hes the real deal or just blowing hot air at he end of next season...Same for Sturridge and the likes of Allen and Borini,At the end of next season we'll really see how this club is set up for the next number of years,could be great or the mid-table we're all dreading.

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  20. Lawro's a totall misery guts, he could win the lottery & still moan! Think if Coutinho hadn't done anything what would he say then? With Lawro it's a loose loose situation!

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  21. Lawro is behaving like the Premier League is the only football that he watches
    Can someone please tell Lawro that football is a worldwide sport now, and that there are gems in almost every league.
    Does he think that there is an hidden agenda in buying coutinnho?
    Does he think that he has an hidden injury, that the medical team did not spot?
    Does he just say things for the sake of saying it?
    Lawro is too negative for me, when it comes to liverpool he has nothing good or positive to say i'm afraid.
    Coutinnho is a Brazilian footballer who are brought up to play with skill and flair, he's got to know that, also he was not born into riches, he is from a deprived background, football is their way out of poverty.
    Just because the Coutinnho knows how to pass and move theres a hidden agenda behind his capture for LFC?
    The guy is just doing the simple things right, like passing the ball when the pass is on and not when it's gone.
    What lawro should be saying is, WHY is the England NOT producing player's of the ilk of a Coutinnho and not talking jibba..jabba every week, that would make a better debate than his normal rubbish.

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  22. I agree both sturridge and coutinho have started well and i hope they go on to be long term star players but it is still early days and both have previously been at top clubs and not quite made it for some reason

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  23. hows lawro a man ure supporter ,because he says it how he sees it and does not kiss fsg and rodgers arse like some of the ex players when fsg and rodgers leave they will be quick enought then ,believe me

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  24. i think coutinho has started well and will be a good player sturridge the jury is out

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  25. You do realise that the same logic could be applied to virtually every good signing mad in football. Why did sporting lisbon let Ronaldo leave for man utd? why did Juventus sell Theiry Henry to arsenal? and if Michu was so good why did his club only demand 2 million for him. The point is, who gives a damn why inter milan let Coutinho go, we have him now and he's been fantastic for us so far.

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  26. very harsh on two players who would walk into our team at the moment and stevie nicol would walk into my greatest lfc team ever

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  27. I think Lucas being here is a big deal too. Helps the transition.

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  28. Well done lawro again. Italian clubs don't let top players go. Viera, Henry. That's why we ignore him!

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  29. What do you mean Italian clubs do not make mistakes what about Henry bet Juventus were ruing that one anyway plenty of young players turn their careers around.

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  30. Much like Suarez, Coutinho is full of unpredictability and amazing skill. You can analyse their style but you still have to stop them. For example Suarez will always look for the nutmeg, he will cut inside and out, and zig zag through opponents. Coutinho will use his skill to beat a man and then look for a killer ball. Even van Persie, he can drop off his markers, or make darting runs into the box. It's easy to analyse things but harder to stop.


    Defensively though, Coutinho WILL get caught out against the bigger teams. Against Villa he managed to track back often but at times Enrique was exposed.

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  31. Lawro? Just a loudmouth trying to remain relevant. Inter switched to a midfield diamond and had no use for Coutinho. They have Kovacic and needed more cash not players. A modicum of research would produce this info to anyone with half a brain. Perfect for this shite-stirring echo chamber of lunatics of a website.

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  32. This is Mark Lawrenson

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfQarImZ97Y

    Enjoy everyone !!

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  33. "Found out" maybe. but as long as he is banging in the goals. that's fine.

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  34. Brilliant ! Sums Lawrenson up perfectly,yesterday (Sat) they were giving him pelters on Talk Sport for his abysmal record on score predictions.Never anything really positive to say about LFC. I always notice when you see the old guard (legends) at a game at Anfield... he aint there. Coutinho has been excellent so far and i can't see why that wont continue,bar a dip in form,injury etc which anyone can have.Mark negative Lawrenson could be a regular poster on here.

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  35. Why did Manchester United let Giuseppi Rossi and Gerard Piqué leave leave for so little?

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  36. Y is Lawro being sceptic abt Countinho's ability how much wz michu bought 4rm Rayo Vallecano 2m,countinho is stil 20 yrs of age bt stil with loads of experience,brilliant skills,an eye for a killer pass,oso goals in hm en plays 4 Brazil at 20 yrs.at wat age did Lawro mek hz debut 4 hz country?

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  37. Y bein sceptic on a 20 yr old kid hz goals en assists speak wonders 4hmself by de tym he reaches hz peak yrs he wil set de premier league alight wit hz dazzling skills jst lyk Mata in the making

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