After arriving at Anfield in January 2013, Liverpool attacker Philippe Coutinho immediate adapted to the Premier League, and grabbed 8 goals/assists in his first 13 appearances. Things haven't gone quite so well for the him this season, and former Reds defender John Scale has called on the Brazilian to start contributing more goals for the team.
In his column for 5-Times this week, Scales - who made 94 appearances for Liverpool during the Roy Evans era, and played a major part in the hugely exciting 1995-6 season - argued:
"I’d like to see Philippe Coutinho contribute more goals.
"In the big games you need a dynamic midfield that can take the game to the opposition, and he has to improve on that from his three or four efforts per game".
This season, Coutinho has 2 goals and 3 assists in 17 appearances, which is down on his average for last season, and with only one goal in nine games, it's easy to see where Scales is coming from.
It seems no one is immune to the pressure to perform for LFC, and to be honest, that's the way it should be. Coutinho is a fantastic footballer, and I love watching him play, but he also has to deliver the goods on a consistent basis, and it's true to say that he's not doing that at the moment. A few things stand out about his recent performances:
* Coutinho's passing accuracy seems to have suffered. Time and time again over the last few games, he's attempted intricate, defence splitting passes, but failed to find a team-mate as a result of overhitting the pass, or just plain inaccuracy. This is reflected in stats for passing accuracy in the opposition half, which is currently 71% for the season.
* He also seems to be shooting from distance a lot more than last season. This may be a specific directive from Rodgers, and that's fine, but Coutinho's shooting accuracy needs to improve big-time because, right now, he only gets 38% of shots on target.
* The absence of Daniel Sturridge has arguably hindered Coutinho's game. They seems to have an almost telepathic understanding, and the England striker's mobility and speed means he can easily get on the end of Coutinho's passes. Additionally, Sturridge's movement is so good that he makes angles for passes that other LFC players just aren't capable of matching, so Coutinho's passing options up-front are slightly restricted.
The third point is, admittedly, tenuous - it shouldn't really make a difference who's in the team; if Coutinho's passing and game intelligence is up to scratch, he should be able to pick out anyone in the final third.
Has Coutinho been found-out? Do Premier League defenders know the Brazilian's game now to the extent that it renders him less effective? Whatever the reason for the current drop in form, Coutinho is total quality, and with Sturridge's imminent return to the squad, I have no doubt that he will get back in the swing of things sooner rather than later.
Author: Jaimie K
In his column for 5-Times this week, Scales - who made 94 appearances for Liverpool during the Roy Evans era, and played a major part in the hugely exciting 1995-6 season - argued:
"I’d like to see Philippe Coutinho contribute more goals.
"In the big games you need a dynamic midfield that can take the game to the opposition, and he has to improve on that from his three or four efforts per game".
This season, Coutinho has 2 goals and 3 assists in 17 appearances, which is down on his average for last season, and with only one goal in nine games, it's easy to see where Scales is coming from.
It seems no one is immune to the pressure to perform for LFC, and to be honest, that's the way it should be. Coutinho is a fantastic footballer, and I love watching him play, but he also has to deliver the goods on a consistent basis, and it's true to say that he's not doing that at the moment. A few things stand out about his recent performances:
* Coutinho's passing accuracy seems to have suffered. Time and time again over the last few games, he's attempted intricate, defence splitting passes, but failed to find a team-mate as a result of overhitting the pass, or just plain inaccuracy. This is reflected in stats for passing accuracy in the opposition half, which is currently 71% for the season.
* He also seems to be shooting from distance a lot more than last season. This may be a specific directive from Rodgers, and that's fine, but Coutinho's shooting accuracy needs to improve big-time because, right now, he only gets 38% of shots on target.
* The absence of Daniel Sturridge has arguably hindered Coutinho's game. They seems to have an almost telepathic understanding, and the England striker's mobility and speed means he can easily get on the end of Coutinho's passes. Additionally, Sturridge's movement is so good that he makes angles for passes that other LFC players just aren't capable of matching, so Coutinho's passing options up-front are slightly restricted.
The third point is, admittedly, tenuous - it shouldn't really make a difference who's in the team; if Coutinho's passing and game intelligence is up to scratch, he should be able to pick out anyone in the final third.
Has Coutinho been found-out? Do Premier League defenders know the Brazilian's game now to the extent that it renders him less effective? Whatever the reason for the current drop in form, Coutinho is total quality, and with Sturridge's imminent return to the squad, I have no doubt that he will get back in the swing of things sooner rather than later.
Author: Jaimie K
Hes young. Hell improve, there's no doubt about it. Its scary because if he does improve he will be a world class player.
ReplyDeleteI remember Suarez being agonisingly inaccurate his first season. Let's see what happens if DS plays this Sunday. I think we are all in for a SCS treat.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Sterling has been amazing in his absence but DS just has a bit more skill and athleticism. The space DS will open up will allow Coutinho to thrive again.
ReplyDeleteSince Coutinho got injured, he started back slowly. He wouldn't chanllenge people but the last few games he is more mobile. His shot from 15025 yards is weak, inaccurate and separately needs work. I am glad he is shooting more otherwise people will choke off his lanes rather than defend him closely from distance. He needs to make himself more dangerous from that range and THEN he can get back to beating people one on one. I still like him; young guys all have areas to develop and he is no different. He still has tons of quality and worth the wait. That said, he should be rotated to preserve his health and take a bit of pressure of him...
ReplyDeleteHe has fallen prey of World Cup and Liverpool fans hype. He suddenly thinks he is an established player and wants to play World Cup. Last season, when he just arrived at Liverpool, he had great composure, balance, awareness and flair about him. Everyone started singing his praises and what's next? Over confidence. This season, all he wants to do is score goals, shoot shoot shoot, even when there are more forward players ahead of him, he could pass like last season but he wants to be a main man now. I think BR is also to blame here, am sure he asked Coutinho to shoot more and score more goals, he also mentioned about discussing Coutinho with Scolari. Now BR needs to make him understand that he should go back to his original playing style and be more of a team player.
ReplyDeleteObviously, this is the theory I believe, I maybe wrong.
not to mention DS is 4 years elder to RS
ReplyDeleteIt is true he needs to score goals but he will, he is still a baby give him time!!!.
ReplyDeleteGobshite Scales you were shit in 99% of your games. Coutinhos creativity is very important. Youre knocking the wrong player.
ReplyDeleteI think it's just part of the normal flow of form that players have. Coutinho was never that good last season, I think some people got far too excited about what he was doing. He's always had these issues with converting scoring chances and his shooting touch is not that reliable. He is far more effective when the game is open and I think plenty of games for us this season have seen us up against teams that are well stacked at the back. He's had an injury interruption and I'd also guess that Rodgers is trying to adapt his game to be a more complete footballer.
ReplyDeleteI think the only part of his game where he has been worked out is his shooting. It was always going to be the case that if he showed poor shooting touch that defenders would start to back off and invite him to let fly. It's easier to guard a player if you know he doesn't have a great shot from distance and you can just cover his dribbling and passing lines. I suppose the player has tried to answer this and it's obviously the one area he will try to improve. Brazilian attacking footballers should have no problem letting loose from 20 yards so it's a part of his game he unquestionably has to improve. Then defenders will have no answer because if they step back he'll take the shot while if they get close he'll dribble or pass around them.
He needs more time. Even Suarez took time to find his form at Liverpool and Coutinho has plenty of years to learn. He's still a great player and we'll get more goals and assists from him this season for sure. It just means he's got room to improve and that's a good thing.
Second most shots for LFC. But he is young.
ReplyDeleteSterling and hendo could do with improving their striking too.
If we had bigger Squad to Rotate and With More Quality . Players like Coutinho wouldn't get injured and be fitter and less Fatigue .
ReplyDeleteAnd Coutinho can build his game . also Sakho sterling
he is considered very lucky bcoz aspas and alberto doesnt perform so no 1 pressure his place
ReplyDeleteLets not forget awhile ago ex legends were saying we need a finisher coz suarez cant finish...really? are yu sure ex legends? I take what they have to say with a pinch of salt. However suarez HAS stepped up his game, thats the mark of any good player. Over to yu couts:)
ReplyDeleteJohn who??
ReplyDeleteRemember when Suarez was 'not a natural goal-scorer?' Haha.
ReplyDeleteI think this is something already being worked on. Rodgers said at the beginning of the season he wanted more goals generally this season. He has also said he wanted more from midfield and has recently said he wants more from Coutinho and Sterling. Coutinho and Sterling are shooting much more than they used to. Coutinho especially. It's clear he doesn't have the same kind of relationship with Suarez or others as he does with Sturridge as the runs from the forwards are different. I have no doubt Coutinho, who once said that he talks to his father and brother after every game to analyse what he did well and more importantly what he didn't do well, will be working on his shooting at the moment. I maybe naive but I have a feeling they will start coming before the end of the season. He just needs to make better choices and not rush those shots.
ReplyDeleteBuying a couch?
ReplyDeleteSuarez's movement is excellent but he prefers another kind of pass to those Sturridge likes. I've wondered if Suarez' feint to go in behind, before spinning back out to receive a ball to feet, causes a little problem for Coutinho, who might just see that first movement and play his pass for Suarez, who has already come back the other way by the time Coutinho releases.
ReplyDeleteI think coutinho needs to improve everywhere now, nowhere near the player of last season, I guess there we have the answer of the question we all had, why did inter let him go for such little money? I know hes a good player still but something changed in him, always going for glory, not many good passes and the most terrible things are his shots! If i was his manager id tell him you cant shoot anymore in the game unless we winning 4-0, absolute nightmare. If he doesnt improve I can see him leaving, next year maybe...
ReplyDeleteThe young man is doing fine and I am sure the coaching staff is well aware of parts of his game that needs a bit of fine tuning . I hope he never has to read all these ex-players comments of his play at the moment . He has one boss and only needs to listen to B.R. at the moment .
ReplyDeleteGlad you're not the manager.
ReplyDeleteCoutino's contribution is more than just the final pass or the finish. He creates so much when he is on the ball. Observe the way Henderson, Sterling and others move forward and look for space as soon as he gets on the ball. They know he has the ability to keep the ball and turn players inside out in an instant and create angles for them to make runs into the space he has opened up for them by beating a defender and pulling others out of position. Often, he plays them through and then they slide the ball across the goal for Suarez/etc. to score. They are credited with the assist but it was Coutino who CREATED the goal with his vision and touch. I do agree that he needs to sharpen his shooting and he does sometimes over-hit through balls.
ReplyDeleteThose who complain about PC's shooting too much should think what happens when he and Sterling don't ahoot...the defense converges on Suarez because they realize he is the only threat. When they press an attack and shoot, they force the defense to account for them. This creates more space for Suarez...which is good. Additionally they can't get better at shooting if they don't shoot. I don't see a problem here. I see positive development. When Sturridge re-enters the fray this will pay further dividends. I would say that PC needs to find a better rhythm to his shooting decision-making...see, set-up (pass or shoot), decide, and let er' rip. I think he gets them out of order and leaves the decide part too late.
ReplyDeleteCoutinho is more of a central midfielder a no 10 rather than a winger, due to the lack of wingers we have he is often played on left and then he comes in middle, to me he will be brilliant if he is played in more central position
ReplyDeleteLet's be honest, there's more than just one specific area that needs improvement with Coutinho. Yes he's young and can improve, he did have a great impact last season, and today his overall impact is positive - but at present only slightly outweights the negatives. Everyone is making excuses for him - Coutinho apologists!!!
ReplyDeleteIf we breakdown is job into 3 general areas of creating space, creating goals, and scoring goals, he's failing on 2 out of the 3. Last year, 3 goals, 5 assists in the 13 games, this year 2G, 2A in 15. Let's put this in perspective, He is shooting about an extra shot a game over last year - he's 3rd in the league for shots, he's creating less too he's 4th after Suarez, Gerrard and Henderson for key passes, and provides them roughly as often as Sterling. None of his assists are from open play, they were from set piece delivery. None of his goals were from outside the box, but came within the 6 yard box.
Rodgers rightly identefied Soldado's goal scoring problem before the THS game, most his shots were coming from outside of the box, yet none of his goals in the previous season came from outside of the box- the coutinho thign is staring him in the face and he needs to address it.
And this BS about not having a telepathic connection with Suarez. Suarez will scoring a crapload, has also served up goals on a platter for both coutinho a sterling, and anyone else who's around and in a good position. Coutinho should return the favour, but often is not looking for the pass, but rather wants to take the shot - he should be returning the favour.
Why is this? World cup? Maybe, but realisitically he doesn't have a chance unless Oscar, Willian, and a few others get injured. Is it personally glory? Maybe. Frustration, perhaps. One incentive he may have is money - i.e contract is tied to incentives for number of goals he gets, therefore he's trying to make up so he gets a bonus. I don't know for sure if he has this clause, but Suarez did, so I can't see why he wouldn't.
Either way, he's still good, but needs to shape up, stop shooting from outside of the box, and pass more - the way it works with Suarez on the team, he just needs to get himself in a good position and the passes will come, he'll get better chances to score.
/end rant.
Excuses, a pass is a pass, how is it the Sterling, Sturridge, Henderson, Gerrard, Kolo, Enrique ect. all know how to pass to Suarez, but wonder boy Coutinho doesn't? His passing has been poor, and neither sturridge or Sterling (the speedy guys) would be able to get on the end of a lot of his passes. It's a confidence issue, hopefully a phase thats coming to an end.
ReplyDeleteThere's no problem with shooting in and of itself, it's the frequency, timing, and placement. He shouldn't be shooting when a) he's outside the box, b) there's a player in a better position - otherwise shoot away. As for improvement, this is what practice is for - he can take a million shots from the halfway mark at practice for all I care, but during the game, his shots should at least be a decent chance from a realistic place.
ReplyDeleteIt's not an excuse at all, it's an attempt at an explanation. Coutinho plays through passes to players moving in behind which Suarez doesn't do; he fakes to go in behind to win a yard, then receives the ball turning back the other way, and looks to beat the defender turning back toward him to get in behind. These are habits he's had presumably since he was a kid.
ReplyDeleteAnother player Coutinho will be missing is Enrique. I think it's more likely that missing Sturridge and Enrique has caused him to lose some confidence as he doesn't have the passes available that they like to get, and PC likes to give.
I think his shots were from good enough areas...it's just that he didn't get them on the net. And I think that's because his decision cycle is off. I don't think he has fully committed himself to the shot when he takes it. The shots seem rushed almost as if it is an afterthought. I really don't have a problem with the number or the range because I think it BR has told him, Hendo and RS to shoot more in order to loosen up the defenders on Suarez.
ReplyDeleteYeah and we want a defender to close Coutinho down, don't we, looking to get a block in, to take out a man and open up passing possibilities. Teams feel they can drop off Coutinho at the moment. He's got to show them that they can't afford to.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you need to qualify the 3rd point JK. I think it is most pertinent. Sturridge's directness really compliments Coutinho's natural inclination toward through balls.
ReplyDelete