It's fair to say that Liverpool fans are hugely excited at the prospect of watching Philippe Coutinho this season, and Reds boss Brendan Rodgers is convinced that the Brazilian is will play a huge part in the club's push for the top four this season.
In his pre-Stoke City press conference this morning, Rodgers laid out what makes Coutinho so important to his plans for the new season. He told reporters:
"He [Coutinho] is player you’d actually pay money to watch. He’s an incredible talent, but he’s got the humility to want to improve.
"He can play in a number of positions: the number 10 role; out wide, or as a central midfielder. I know what his best position is, but he’s flexible and happy enough to play in a different position.
"His biggest attribute is he’s effective. He score goals and he creates goals. He's a wonderful player".
Regular visitors will know that when assessing players, I always look at 'primary role' effectivess. An attacker's primary role is to score and create goals. A defensive midfielder's primary role is protect the back four and stop goals being conceded etc. If they're doing that regularly, everything else (IMO) is less important.
Well, it seems that Brendan Rodgers takes a similar view. He stressed that Coutinho's 'biggest attribute' is that he 'scores and creates goals', and then he went on to discuss Daniel Sturridge, and the Reds boss made it clear that he prioritises a player's effectiveness by looking at their primary role. He noted:
"There's pressure on the attacking players, but that's the job. When you get paid as a striker, you’re paid to score and create goals. It’s as simple as that. Just like defenders: they’ve got to stop goals".
Spot on. I love this philosophy. You can talk all you like about attacking players tracking back, and the importance of defensive duties etc, but ultimately, this is secondary to actually getting the job done. If a striker scores 20+ goals a season, who cares if he doesn't run ten miles a game?
As for Coutinho - if he continues to score/create goals at the same rate he did last season, I personally couldn't care less about his defensive stats.
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
In his pre-Stoke City press conference this morning, Rodgers laid out what makes Coutinho so important to his plans for the new season. He told reporters:
"He [Coutinho] is player you’d actually pay money to watch. He’s an incredible talent, but he’s got the humility to want to improve.
"He can play in a number of positions: the number 10 role; out wide, or as a central midfielder. I know what his best position is, but he’s flexible and happy enough to play in a different position.
"His biggest attribute is he’s effective. He score goals and he creates goals. He's a wonderful player".
Regular visitors will know that when assessing players, I always look at 'primary role' effectivess. An attacker's primary role is to score and create goals. A defensive midfielder's primary role is protect the back four and stop goals being conceded etc. If they're doing that regularly, everything else (IMO) is less important.
Well, it seems that Brendan Rodgers takes a similar view. He stressed that Coutinho's 'biggest attribute' is that he 'scores and creates goals', and then he went on to discuss Daniel Sturridge, and the Reds boss made it clear that he prioritises a player's effectiveness by looking at their primary role. He noted:
"There's pressure on the attacking players, but that's the job. When you get paid as a striker, you’re paid to score and create goals. It’s as simple as that. Just like defenders: they’ve got to stop goals".
Spot on. I love this philosophy. You can talk all you like about attacking players tracking back, and the importance of defensive duties etc, but ultimately, this is secondary to actually getting the job done. If a striker scores 20+ goals a season, who cares if he doesn't run ten miles a game?
As for Coutinho - if he continues to score/create goals at the same rate he did last season, I personally couldn't care less about his defensive stats.
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
Really looking forward to watching Coutinho this season. He genuinely could become one of the top players in the Premiership.
ReplyDeleteLets just hope he can pick up where he left off, and if pre season is anything to go by, then it looks likely that he will.
Him and Sturridge could be a very effective and potent attacking force for us. Just have to hope Sturridge stays fit.
i think if rogers and co keep saying how good tino is it might distract everyone to how sparse our squad is coming up to the stoke game...if he gets injured or loses form we are f8CKED
ReplyDeleteNo, you just want to peddle that myth so you can continue to attack Rodgers. If Coutinho gets injured, we still have Alberto and Aspas, not to mention Ibe and Sterling. Players always step up, and one of those four (if not more) will step up this season whether Coutinho gets injured or not.
ReplyDeleteJamie totally agree. Suarez is a great player but we've looked more cohesive as a team when he's not there
ReplyDeleteI disagree with this viewpoint. Obviously, defenders should stop the goals and attackers should create and score them, but in a fluid system it is more complicated than that. A balance between attack and defence is critical.
ReplyDeleteWithout the ball in our own half I would expect every single player except the striker to track back and win back the ball. This includes wingers getting back. It doesn't matter how good Coutinho is going forward, if you're on the wing you track back and if Coutinho is the 'number 10' he doesn't need to be making tackles in the middle of the park, but the minimum expectation is that he gets back and marks a man or closes down space. Disregarding defence is negligent.
I was a big fan of Henderson in the team last season because he provided the team with balance. Going forward he offered something and defensively he works hard. A player like him can provide a platform for the midfield to control the game and for the back four to be steady without sacrificing anything in an attacking sense.
When Coutinho plays in the number 10 this season, Gerrard and Lucas in the middle of the pitch will just be under even more pressure. This will have an adverse affect on the defence too. We can easily be overrun and hit on the counter. Coutinho was perfect on the left wing last season and he should stay there, Hendo and Allen should battle for the third sport in midfield. If it ain't broke don't fix it.
Are a few extra goals (no guarantee of goals however) worth jeopardising the teams stability?
I disagree with the central point. In my view, it is not more complicated than that. Players have primary roles and secondary roles; excelling at the primary role doesn't mean that the player relinquishes responsibility for their secondary role, it just means that achieving the primary role is (arguably) more important.
ReplyDeleteStrikers, for example, should first and foremost be judged on how many goals they score. Other things like tracking back are secondary. A striker's primary role is not to track back; it's to score goals. If Sturridge scores two goals in one game and LFC win, who cares if he only won 50% of tackles? Who cares if he ran 3 miles less than Lucas?
LFC's approach in the past - especially under Benitez - was really frustrating. Benitez prioritised stamina, hard-work etc over players achieving their primary role. A good example of this is Dirk Kuyt. I'm glad now that Rodgers seems to reject that approach. Yes, working hard for the team is important, but *more* important than that is getting the job done. As BR says, 'it's as simple as that'.
I totally agree with you on that one. He has a tendency to hog the ball.
ReplyDeleteI agree to an extent. But I also think there were times when it was a bit like "give Suarez the ball", now lets watch him do something with it.
ReplyDeleteone of the very few rays of hope at anfield
ReplyDeleteEverybody's getting carried away with the whole Suarez narrative - at that time, who else was going to do anything up front, if not Suarez??
ReplyDeleteHere's how I see it: if an attacking player doesn't score or create, it doesn't matter how much tracking back or pressuring the ball they do. You can't make up for being a poor attacking player only by being good at other things. It's not enough. Same for a defender. You can't make up for poor defensive efforts by getting involved in the attack all the time. So yes, your primary role is the most important one. If you don't do that, you can't really hide or make up for it in other ways. You'll be found out and told that you're not doing enough.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I don't agree that just because an attacking player scores and creates they should have no other responsibilities. It doesn't absolve them of any other role in the team. Obviously the attacking player who scores and creates AND pressures the defenders AND tracks back AND holds good position of the ball to help team tactics is better than the one who doesn't. The complete package is obviously a better player than the player who only scores goals. I don't really think you can draw a line under a performance and say that because they scored nothing else matters.
A striker could spend 87 minutes of the game doing absolutely nothing, just waiting for that one perfect run. They spend 3 minutes trying to make that perfect run, they get it right once and they score. Great. They did a job. But for 87 minutes of the game they've not pressured the ball, not tracked back, not held formation ... quite obviously that will mean the other team had more possession, more attacking chances for themselves and ultimately made life harder for his team mates. The goal is great, but if the opposition have scored 3 goals at the other end it actually is quite useless. Anyone who argues that the attacking player has done their job and can't shoulder responsibility for the loss is not thinking straight. The striker has been lazy and wasteful and should deservedly be dropped until they learn to play a proper team role.
With certain players, you have to focus on certain elements of their game outside of their original remit in an effort to justify their selection (e.g. Downing and his 'tracking back') whereas with other players, these elements are totally overlooked. Coutinho DOES track back effectively.
ReplyDeleteAnd on your argument, it is easy to just make the corresponding argument anyway. Playing Hendo and Allen in the No. 10 puts the attackers under even more pressure, as neither player carries much goal or creative threat, which makes it easier for opposition defenders to close down the remaining attackers.
Is a little additional defensive solidity (no guarantee of clean sheets however) worth jeopardising the team's attacking potential?
It's funny that nobody needs to bring up passing % when talking about Coutinho's passing ability...
ReplyDeleteFair points. However in the article saying something like "who cares" regarding defence indicates that rather it's not a secondary role as you now mentioned, but no role at all.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, defensive statistics for attacking players should not be emphasised and that's why I maintain, it's not so simple. Sturridge can win 50% of his tackles, this could be 100%, I would still disregard this statistic. What's important to me though is that he tracks back, picks up a man or closes down space. In contrast, Aspas could run wonderful lines and aid the team in the scoring of goals but may not be directly attributed a goal or assist. Therefore he still made a positive contribution to the team without official 'end product'. I'm not sure if this is the perfect analogy but it's just the way I see it.
The whole idea of a fluid system is that every player contributes to every phase of play and things are more free flowing. Judging from Rodgers comments and style based off a number of years I thought he employed this style.
I accept that defensive duties for the attacking 3 and the striker are secondary. Goals win games. But I don't believe there should be such a gap in what's considered primary and secondary because as I mentioned I feel we may be overrun in a few games and the team seems unbalanced. As for Benitez, I agree with you but I don't think it's frustrating. His style certainly worked for the most part, I think you wrote an article some time ago about him being too defensive and it cost us the league title, I'm not too sure, but overall he was successful, and if Rodgers achieves the same feats with his style I don't care if Coutinho walks off and has a drink when we don't have the ball.
I argued that Henderson doesn't take away from the teams attack, he proved last season that he can create goals and provide a threat. He was ranked 4th in terms of minutes and creative return - not bad for being unfairly shunned last season. In addition he presses a lot and tends to make first time passes. IMO he is suited to Rodgers style despite Rodgers not rating him as high as others. When he was in the team he was a central midfielder but in an advanced role, he did not play the traditional number 10. So I don't need a rewording of my own rhetorical question.
ReplyDeleteCoutinho does track back and he has a good work rate, I never suggested otherwise. What I do suggest though is that the team may be unbalanced by playing him through the middle and having another winger out wide. Defence under Rodgers is under scrutiny a little bit, I don't feel putting extra pressure on Lucas and Gerrard and the back four is necessary. I may be wrong and Coutinho can fire in the middle and we may win a lot of games, I'd rather that be the case, but I just want the team to be stable. BTW I did not vote you down :)
its fsg and the committee ( what ever that is ) who are signing the players im not having a go at rogers even though it may come across like that ...imo he has very little say in who comes and goes
ReplyDeleterogers will always favour allen over henderson
ReplyDeleteCan Liverpool keep him? He will eventually want to go up a level and play CL.
ReplyDeletewe should get this season out of him at least......a lot depends on where we are as a team....if the team is failing and he shines he will be gone...if the team is flourishing and several players are standing out we will keep him
ReplyDeleteI admire Henderson but it's no different to me or you favouring Hendo over Allen. I don't care who gets picked as long as the best player is in the team based on performances and not BS like playing favourites.
ReplyDeleteI think Rodgers has shown though that if they bring someone in that he doesn't value highly, he's just not going to play him.
ReplyDeleteCase in point: Assaidi
My understanding is that was a committee purchase as opposed to a Rodgers purchase and Rodgers essentially refused to play him for any length of extended time.
Agree on the basic principal that attackers attack, defenders defend - those are the roles, if they do them well then great - though it is nice to have defenders that score every now and then, and attackers that track back and contribute to defense. Obviously.
ReplyDeleteNow there is 1 thing that is everyone's duty in defense, that is defending set pieces - can't pinpoint one player that is particularly bad, rather as a team performance was poor. Is there anything being done in this front? Defensive coaches, etc? Curious - this was the team's weakest area last season, IMO.
The committee only got set up closer to January. Rodgers even said in a interview that he didn't have the right people in at the time to bring in players.
ReplyDeleteSign willian and sequira and maybe sakho ,keep suarez
ReplyDeletethen we wont have to worry about coutinho leaving any time soon
suarez,sturridge,coutinho,willian ,gerrard,lucas,johnson,siquera,toure,agger and mingelot
Jamie that is an awesome team
and the bench
aspas,sterling,alberto,henderson/allen,kelly and enrique also looks good
Jamie can you clear one thing up, what is the main point of the website?
ReplyDeleteto report transfers or to give a realistic and slightly critical view on what is going on at lfc?
I just hope that Coutinho hasn't become unsettled by all this Suarez saga..........for sure he was very effective last season.... & i also agree with BR's analysis here, but i have grave reservations re certain players who might well be unhappy with how Luis Suarez has been "perceived" to have been treated by the Club & consequently the manager, afterall his (Suarez's) attack on Rodgers was direct & to the point, so IF we have any players who are sympathizing with Suarez against the manager then it might make for a very difficult season ahead......
ReplyDeleteI don't think we should under estimate this point either, because there is already a secret army of Suarez fan's who will be waiting like a cat to pounce on the manager at the first sign of trouble.......Coutinho could become a real problem for the manager this season if he starts underperforming.....because im sure BR will the one who will come under attack......not the player, hopefully he won't become a Suarez mark 2 in the making, to carry on where Suarez left off....
Squad depth will be so important this season, we should not be focussing on any one player, sure we can hope that Coutinho continues to improve & IMO so he should given that we should have in place a more competitive squad, fingers crossed.
Hendo is definitley more of an athlete than Allen and I think would score more goals. I get the impression Hendo is on the verge of being a brilliant player but for some reason something is holding him back. Something just sticks in my mind relating back to games I watched where he would get the ball in the final third of the pitch with 2 defenders ahead of him and I'm screaming at the t.v. to run at them but he turns back to wait for backup. This could be his year if he takes his chance.
ReplyDeleteI agree that priority should be on the attacking traits first and foremost depending on position but in some systems and for some opposition players, that needs to be backed up to an extent, with other traits. Whether it be for occasional games (e.g. Suarez hassling Carrick in the second half of the game last season, which disrupted their rhythm heavily) or a constant feature of a team's style (e.g. Barca, at least under Guardiola, pressed quick and hard for a short period as a team when they lose the ball. Various possible reasons for Ibra's failure but this was one of them, imo). I agree the primary duties are priority but for e.g. a forward's ability to press or be tactically aware when the team is without the ball, etc, is not to be underestimated, especially in certain circumstances for the sake of the team.
ReplyDeleteHe's got a pretty decent conversion rate, and his shots are on target - he should take more chances. Based on last season, he was definitely better than Allan.
ReplyDeleteMy screaming at the TV is usually reserved for Glen - it goes like this "Go Glen, Go Glen, Go Glen... ... NO GLEN NO GLEN NO!!!'
Lol, re Glen, been there got the T-shirt, only thing your forgetting is the FFS!!! at the end of it. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see Kelly there instead tbh, don't think Glenn can be trusted anymore.
Ditto Enrique also....& 1 or 2 others... really hope we improve our attacking momentum this season!
agree m8
ReplyDeleteThing is, the 2 dribbles and run up the field are always impressive - it's the attempt at a third dribble or shot that sucks. Maybe they should hire a hypnotist, he can change his ways :P
ReplyDeleteso he will be gone with suarez
ReplyDeleteso you admit it is a possibilety ,lets face it if we lost coutinho ,suarez gerrard and lucas we would be absolutely screwed,the way the defence as not been strenghtened you can also add agger and toure to the list ,we may have squad players but that is all they are ,if our strongest 11 do not play together most of the time we will be lucky to get top 8 this year
ReplyDeleteNah, just get rid of him....
ReplyDeleteTake the best 4 players out of pretty much any team and they will struggle, what are you on? Barca without Messi, Iniesta, Xavi and Masch or Alves would not be anywhere near the same team. Utd without RVP, Rooney, Vidic and Carrick would struggle. City without Kompany, Ageuro, Silva and Fernandinho. Spurs without Bale.
ReplyDeleteWe were miles ahead of 8th last year in points, unlike the year before. Get real.
Real I said, not just negative.
You may be right that Rodgers seems to not have much say about who comes and goes considering how he handled the Reina Issue.
ReplyDeleteOne minute he was saying he was in for competition with Mignolet then the next he was joining Napoli with Reina implying he was pushed towards Napoli and I would presume Rodgers had this pulled from under him leaving him to justify the departure by saying highly paid footballers shouldn't sit on the bench with a world cup coming.. If that was the case Suarez is banned for the first 6 games and potentially sidelined for more unless he apologises while Uruguay tries to qualify for the World Cup is there no irony that the highly paid Suarez could be in the reserves training on his own?
Well if that's the case, I admit that I'm wrong. I read that somewhere about Assaidi... although, admittedly I cannot remember where.
ReplyDeleteMore like if he actually gets a chance, but we will see.
ReplyDelete