Liverpool attacker Coutinho put in a fantastic performance against during yesterday's 6-0 rout against Newcastle, and according to former Reds defender Jason McAteer, the Brazilian maestro has the potential to match the ability of some of world's best players.
Discussing the Newcastle game on LFC TV last night, McAteer - who appeared in both classic 4-3 victories over the barcodes in the mid-1990s - enthused:
"He [Coutinho] is certainly in the bracket of Iniesta, Xavi and Isco. He's that kind of player.
"He gets the ball, see things and and can pass it, move it.
"He's certainly got the makings of being as good as them"
That's high praise indeed, but the last thing Coutinho needs is exaggerated comparisons to the likes of Xavi and Iniesta (!)
Reds legend Gary Gillespie argued that it's unwise to put so much pressure on Coutinho's shoulders, but hailed the youngster's impact against Newcastle:
"He [Coutinho] was brilliant. He has the ability to make a pass and see it early. As soon as he receives the ball, he has a picture in his head about what's about, and Newcastle just couldn't deal with him"
With Suarez out of the picture, Coutinho played further infield, and had a superb impact on the game. At times, he tends to get a little isolated out on the left, and I hope he gets an extended run in the playmaking position he took up against Newcastle.
Coutinho now has 2 goals and 4 assists in 9 starts for Liverpool, which is a superb return, and it's great to once again have a proper number 10 at the club.
After years of being wasted on unworthy players (Andrei Voronin, anyone?) the shirt - made famous by the club legends like Terry McDermott and John Barnes - is now back where it belongs: on the back of a truly talented and skilful player.
The 20-year old is well aware of the importance of the number ten shirt, and in a recent interview, he told The Guardian:
"In Brazil the one who wears 10 constructs the attacks. That is what I will try to do here. The number I have at Liverpool does not give me any added pressure. The pressure I have is to play well and do my best for the team"
“My idols are Kaka and Ronaldinho, who play in the same position. I will try to be the typical Brazilian, but my preference will be to become known by my own name.”
'Constructing attacks' is precisely where Liverpool need Coutinho, and if he can emulate the likes of Kaka, Ronaldinho, Iniesta and/or Xavi, then Liverpool fans will certainly be happy.
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
Discussing the Newcastle game on LFC TV last night, McAteer - who appeared in both classic 4-3 victories over the barcodes in the mid-1990s - enthused:
"He [Coutinho] is certainly in the bracket of Iniesta, Xavi and Isco. He's that kind of player.
"He gets the ball, see things and and can pass it, move it.
"He's certainly got the makings of being as good as them"
That's high praise indeed, but the last thing Coutinho needs is exaggerated comparisons to the likes of Xavi and Iniesta (!)
Reds legend Gary Gillespie argued that it's unwise to put so much pressure on Coutinho's shoulders, but hailed the youngster's impact against Newcastle:
"He [Coutinho] was brilliant. He has the ability to make a pass and see it early. As soon as he receives the ball, he has a picture in his head about what's about, and Newcastle just couldn't deal with him"
With Suarez out of the picture, Coutinho played further infield, and had a superb impact on the game. At times, he tends to get a little isolated out on the left, and I hope he gets an extended run in the playmaking position he took up against Newcastle.
Coutinho now has 2 goals and 4 assists in 9 starts for Liverpool, which is a superb return, and it's great to once again have a proper number 10 at the club.
After years of being wasted on unworthy players (Andrei Voronin, anyone?) the shirt - made famous by the club legends like Terry McDermott and John Barnes - is now back where it belongs: on the back of a truly talented and skilful player.
The 20-year old is well aware of the importance of the number ten shirt, and in a recent interview, he told The Guardian:
"In Brazil the one who wears 10 constructs the attacks. That is what I will try to do here. The number I have at Liverpool does not give me any added pressure. The pressure I have is to play well and do my best for the team"
“My idols are Kaka and Ronaldinho, who play in the same position. I will try to be the typical Brazilian, but my preference will be to become known by my own name.”
'Constructing attacks' is precisely where Liverpool need Coutinho, and if he can emulate the likes of Kaka, Ronaldinho, Iniesta and/or Xavi, then Liverpool fans will certainly be happy.
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
less than half a season and were trying to compare him to some of the best players in the world give the lad a break and also i think one xavi is enough for any team we already have the welsh one,,, sorry could not resist ;-)
ReplyDeleteCoutinhio is a gem waiting to be polished.
ReplyDeleteNow we have two Xavi. Welsh and Brazilian. lol
ReplyDeleteI feel he is going to be a brilliant player... But against tougher teams, i think he may find it hard in the middle and he might play better on the left wing...
ReplyDeletei actually think we are light weight defensively with sas and cortino all playing in the same team.....we looked more like a 442 yesterday and it told on newcastle as we dominated midfield
ReplyDeleteby far 'rodgers' best signing by a country mile. sturridge will be OK but cant see him being torres/suarez level EVER.
ReplyDeleteAll he needs now is to be left alone by the so called football experts and to get some muscle on his bones.
ReplyDeleteVoronin is not a talented player or maybe it didn't work out with liverpool but that doesn't mean he is not worth it,shame on what you say.
ReplyDeleteI like him, but I wouldn't want to polish his gem.
ReplyDeleteNot that there's anything wrong with that.
Milan must be sick letting him go for cheap and seeing him do so well. He looks a £20m player and will only get better at 20 years old. All credit must go to Rodgers for buying him and getting the best out of him, that's what I love about Rodgers attacking system, good players fit right into it. Can't wait to see who we get in the summer. A good start next season is very important so another striker is definitely needed just in case Sturridge gets injured while Suarez is banned.
ReplyDeleteClass player, said this when he signed, he wasn't given a chance at inter but at Liverpool he can get even better.but lets not put to much pressure on his shoulders, if we sign Ericsson aswell then we can have two play makers, plus Gerrard would mean this could give us service to our front players.
ReplyDeleteAgree, and the legend Lawro apparently still has his doubts about him because Inter let him leave.Ericsson would be a brilliant signing.
ReplyDeleteKanwar you forgot to write an article about questioning why inter let so easy coutinho to go if hes that good, right?
ReplyDeleteThats two comments disappeared today ?
ReplyDeleteYou're a sniper. Stop sniping and your comments will stay live.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what your getting at, i commented on the exact same interview on LFC TV, what on earth did i say wrong?
ReplyDeleteThe welsh wizard is actually better than xavi ;)
ReplyDeleteI can't believe anyone is taking any notice of McAteer, it's a well-known fact that he's a thick as fuck.I mean talk about jumping the gun,how long has Coutinho been playing in this Prem? This is nearly as bad as when Gerrard claimed Cole was as good/if not better than Messi.LOL
ReplyDeletekeep smoking that weed man and you will convince yourself lol;-)
ReplyDeleteBit harsh l think,Mcateer did go on to explain what he meant as it wasn't a direct comparison ie saying he was as good as,rather to his style of play.
ReplyDeleteim truly happy with the kid... he is by far the most talented young player ive seen in lfc shirt in years. i hope he fullfills his potential and stays with us a decade atleast!
ReplyDeletei just checked the video out. he makes me smile when i watch him play
ReplyDelete??
ReplyDeletenewcastle maybe a bit out of form but he played against tiote and sissoko in middle of the park. and held his ground
ReplyDeleteI watched this kid since he was @ Inter and was thoroughly impressed. I'm so glad we got him instead of Sneijder. At the moment he's exactly what we need and I think BR is doing a great job of managing him. Since Xabi left we've missed having a good a passer in the side. But Coutinho offers even more cuz he's an excellent passer and he's an excellent runner with the ball. He's going to be an absolute joy to watch next season
ReplyDeleteI think we should be commending snipers for protecting our country.
ReplyDeletei wasnt meant to be serious mate ;) should never forget to post my sarcasm shield after my posts !
ReplyDeletei know m8 i know
ReplyDeletei,am your worst nightmare an enabling sniper
ReplyDeletecouldnt agree more
ReplyDeletei think xavi is the spanish joe allen
ReplyDeleteiam sure xavi will be flattered by that
ReplyDeleteI'm extremely happy with Coutinho impact. it was much needed. but i would implore all concerned to not put undue pressure or praise just yet. he's too young & new at Liverpool. he needs to build himself to truly able to dominate midfield which i now believe he can. Yes; his start to Liverpool been nothing short of excellent...we'll see a more complete & deadly Coutinho next season. hopefully he'll keep on improving to merit a genuine comparison with the likes of Kaka, Iniesta, Xavi, Alonso in few years time.
ReplyDeleteAllen been a bit disappointing to be honest; but he has the basic technique to be successful in Liverpool IMO. I think he needs time. But he has to get there as quickly as possible coz football is very fast moving and one can fall behind very quickly if he doesn't perform.
I hope will be able to buy Henrikh Mkhitaryan AND Christian Christian Eriksen for next season cause they are fantastic prospect.
What are your thoughts on re-signing Alonso? His vision and eye for a pass are second to none: he could pick Coutinho out wherever the two of them are on the pitch and make things happen.
ReplyDeleteIn all fairness Jason this isn't half a season people are looking at, his whole career he has been one of the big ones to watch coming out of Brazil hence the footballing world going er wtf how did you just get him for 8 million hes as talked about as Neymar in the up and coming circles
ReplyDeleteI think its very likely this lad has always had pressure piled on with comparisons, its not a new thing hes getting by coming to Liverpool How do you think Shelvey feels too, the lad is being molded in to Stevie G version 2 and I've got to say its weird watching Jonjo doing the same things Stevie did, losing his head getting the odd red card but working 100% all the time, when he comes good those two are the start of our spine with Kelly and Wisdom in defense and Suso, Morgan and Sterling up front, the future is bright the future is ... Red ( i know ive left some out but they are the main Lads id say )
ReplyDeleteDefine LFC class? Hes Fast, Not as selfish as made out, has a good eye for goal and will drag defenders all over the pitch creating huge gaps, if he gets 20 goals in a season I think that will put him into Liverpool Class and Ill be honest I really cant see him not scoring 20+ the lad was never given a chance properly at City or Chelsea
ReplyDeleteell obviuosly milan did not agree with you
ReplyDeletetime will tell but surely every club hes been at saw something different to you
ReplyDeleteLol! So its not just me then!!
ReplyDeleteI think Suso is more similar to iniesta/xavi than coutinho.....but having said that i think he's proving to be a terriffc signing for us.
ReplyDeleteGlad you see what I see with Shelvey, he is the mirror image of Stevie when Stevie was the same age and Shelvey also has a fierce shot on him. We have got an excellent crop of youngsters coming through, Joao Teixeira is another, same with Marc Pelosi, even though he was injured by the horror challenge, he was on the cusp of breaking through to the first team squad.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, Coutinho has played in the English Premier League longer than Xavi and Iniesta combined and he also has experience playing in the league they play in, where he had a pretty successful loan spell. And didn't Gerrard say Cole was the English version of Messi? That isn't exactly saying much.
ReplyDeleteVoronin is a talented player, he showed that by the amount of goals he scored in Germany, he just obviously wasn't suited to either the Premier League or to our way of playing under Rafa.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he didn't fit into the system at either club and he is suited to the way we play under Rodgers. That is certainly feasible.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with everything you have written here, especially about Borini, people knock Borini but he has been injured for most of the season. Saying that, when he has played, he has made space for Suarez simply by his runs and he is pretty quick too. Also don't write off Downing, he has been one of our best and most consistent performers in 2013, if not for his touch to Suarez against Chelsea, Sturridge wouldn't have got his goal and it was a quality touch, he also made the goal for Borini with great wing play. He is playing with a lot of confidence right now and this system seems to suit him and he has made the right wing his own.
ReplyDeletemaybe but at the moment hes to inconsistant lets see how he perfoms between now and the end of the seaon and dare i say next season before we think we have found the answer tp all our problems
ReplyDeletenever touch it my self i only use crack lol;-)
ReplyDeletePeople questioned why we bought Coutinho when he's probably most effective in that true #10 role that is destined to be held by Suarez. It's an artificially created scenario with Suarez suspended but I think Rodgers has shown how the depth in attacking players had made a big difference to us this season. Sturridge and Borini will both now get a chance to play as proper central strikers and Coutinho obviously has no issue playing in the attacking hole and controlling the final pass. It's perfect for him and thankfully he's settled quickly. The derby will be a tough game for him when Everton step up the physical play and intensity but he has the skill to handle it. This is the very reason we can manage with Suarez being left out, it's just not something you want to depend on for a whole season. Attacking players get tired and beaten up in the premier league. Coutinho will likely struggle with injuries simply due to his age and the way football is played in England but for these last three games we can throw all our young talent out there without having to worry about the immediate future. I think he and Sturridge are in a prime position to give a massive effort to finish strongly and show their worth, we won't see any let-up of intensity and that really pleases me as a fan.
ReplyDeleteToo early to say about him.....next season never sure yet
ReplyDeleteI think that if a player of Alonso's quality becomes available to a club of our diminished stature (sad but true right now), we have to take him.
ReplyDeleteI find it hard to see where he would fit in though. Rodgers would never drop Gerrard and unless we move to a narrow midfield diamond (presuming Suarez and Sturridge will be up front and Coutinho at the point) then where would he play?
If we play 4-5-1 with Suarez behind Sturridge and with Coutinho and Downing wide (or a new fella on the right, maybe Sterling if he progresses) then we'd have to have Gerrard and Alonso as the midfield 2.
It sounds great, but we'd be woefully slow in the middle and someone like Bale would cut through that midfield like a hot knife through butter (for those watching their cholesterol, that happens fast and easily).
You've got to take into account the wages and the how big the transfer fee is (£10mil+ is a lot for someone of Alonso's age).
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Yeah, you've got to hand it to Downing, he has turned it around. 2 assists against Newcastle too.
ReplyDeleteHe's working a lot harder and he has an end product now. The best thing about him is the balance he brings to the side. He lets Johnson go wide when he cuts in, he covers well (shocking attempt at a tackle on Haidara against Newcastle, but we got away with it).
I do think that if we're going to go up another level, he seems an obvious point to improve. He is doing a nice job, but is he an elite player? I don't think so. The depths of his shite form makes me suspicious of future dips.
Was Shevchenko rubbish because he didn't do well at Chelsea ? No, some players just don't fit into some teams, then another team picks off a quick buy. Ronaldo left Sporting for 12 million does that mean he wasn't very good or just very VERY good business
ReplyDeleteSuppose 8 goals in 13 Appearances is pretty good so far Jason
ReplyDeleteshevchenko was ridiculed daily in the english press also ronaldo went for 12million how many years ago ,put that into context of the biggest signings of young players it was a lot of money ,compare to 8million for a young player now
ReplyDeleteyes hes done well but on the flip side some games hes been awful
ReplyDelete