Last week, Luis Felipe Scolari failed to include Liverpool attacker Philippe Coutinho in Brazil's squad for the upcoming World Cup, opted for Chelsea star Willian instead. This is a personal setback for Coutinho - who recently insisted that he is 'on the same level' as Willian - but Brazil legend Cafu believes it is only a matter of time before LFC's little magician becomes a regular for the national team.
In an interview with official LFC website this week, Cafu enthused:
"His [Coutinho's] evolution has been fantastic, thanks to Liverpool and and English football.
"[playing in England] will be helpful for him, and the Brazilian national team in the future. World football see a new star if he keeps doing well"
£20m-rated Coutinho's sole appearance for Brazil came in a 2010 friendly with Iran, and he hasn't had a look-in since. Willian, on the other hand, has five appearances to date for the national team, and although he's not an experienced international, Scolari clearly prefers him over Coutinho.
As unfortunate as it is for Coutinho, he (arguably) didn't do enough this season to warrant a place in the Brazil squad. In my view, he has not really progressed as a player this year, and in terms of importance to the team, the Brazilian has clearly been superseded by Raheem Sterling. It could get worse for Coutinho next season:
* Despite their massive importance, BR benched him for the final 2 games of the season.
* Overall, Coutinho was subbed off/on the bench in 65% of games this season.
* LFC are trying to sign Lallana, who will be direct competition for Coutinho.
It seems like Rodgers lost a little faith in Coutinho as the season wore on, and if LFC sign Lallana, plus one or two more attacking players, his place in the team may be under threat.
Author: Jaimie K
In an interview with official LFC website this week, Cafu enthused:
"His [Coutinho's] evolution has been fantastic, thanks to Liverpool and and English football.
"[playing in England] will be helpful for him, and the Brazilian national team in the future. World football see a new star if he keeps doing well"
£20m-rated Coutinho's sole appearance for Brazil came in a 2010 friendly with Iran, and he hasn't had a look-in since. Willian, on the other hand, has five appearances to date for the national team, and although he's not an experienced international, Scolari clearly prefers him over Coutinho.
As unfortunate as it is for Coutinho, he (arguably) didn't do enough this season to warrant a place in the Brazil squad. In my view, he has not really progressed as a player this year, and in terms of importance to the team, the Brazilian has clearly been superseded by Raheem Sterling. It could get worse for Coutinho next season:
* Despite their massive importance, BR benched him for the final 2 games of the season.
* Overall, Coutinho was subbed off/on the bench in 65% of games this season.
* LFC are trying to sign Lallana, who will be direct competition for Coutinho.
It seems like Rodgers lost a little faith in Coutinho as the season wore on, and if LFC sign Lallana, plus one or two more attacking players, his place in the team may be under threat.
Author: Jaimie K
na, cou was injured going into the 2nd to last fixture but subbed on anyway late in the match. rodgers kept allen in the starting XI after a great performance against CP. BR rewards players that do well. Coutinho should be a starter in brazil this summer, scolari passed up on a great player for a bunch of lesser ones.
ReplyDeleteSorry Jamie, don't agree with you at all. Coutihnio had a superb season and he has improved since last season. Jamie, sort it out, don't write nonsense!
ReplyDeleteHe maybe had a bit of second season syndrome for a while but I think he kicked on again towards the end. I have a feeling next year he will be fantastic and if improves his shooting then he'll be will definitely be something very special
ReplyDeleteCoutinho is still very good. he got subbed a lot IMO for lack of stamina which showed itself by stopping to defend loads of times. He is little and young. He has disappeared in some games against big (size) opponents. But, when he is on, he is terrific. I think having another option is EXACTLY what we need for 2 reasons: 1) in case stamina is a longer run issue and 2) having another real threat is better than Allen or Lucas, neither of whom could put the ball in the ocean....
ReplyDeleteScolari just doesn't like players that aren't hench.
ReplyDeletescolari didn't even call up ronaldhino so not surprised by coutinho not getting the call
ReplyDeletethe famous fantastic performance agaisnt crystal palace that saw our team letting in 3 goal in 15 minutes... Allen was so incredible being run all over by Bolasie "the congolese Messi"...
ReplyDeleteIs there any liverpool players that you actually like??everyday you seem to target someone different!
ReplyDeleteSo City have accepted the fine of £49m and a restricted Champions League squad to 21 plus they will be limited to spending £48m this coming season.
ReplyDeleteWhoever still thinks we are going to spend more than £100m are in for a major disappointment.
Don't be fooled. Most of it is generally going to be BS but then at times it can be as simple as common sense. For example, Liverpool need a left back so they link realistic targets to the club. Anyway, it generates views. More views is more money in advertisements. I was a part time webmaster for a few years and page views across the month add up if you constantly produce fresh things for people to click on. Handy cash for your average Joe, probably large sums for the big online papers.
ReplyDeletePC improved his defensive game, but somehow did not offensively. Being out of the Brazil squad could be a good thing. He will be motivated and will improve on his fitness and game during the summer.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure all players not on international duty must report back early to Melwood after their hols.
Yes they would but he wants to play which is fair enough at his age. I was happy when we signed him and to me he remains the only decent signing we made last summer. I guess his next stop will be the US or the middle east.
ReplyDeleteNot quite. Some is suspended and spend is net which means they can sell and swap plus £48M - not bad given the expensive squad =loaned out players they aready have.
ReplyDeleteI want to see who will be willing to buy players from a team which has the highest wage bill in world football. Even if they loan out players they will have to pay part of the wages. City have dug a hole for themselves. If they want to spend big as they have in the past then they are going to have to sell big and those players sold will have to take wage cuts.
ReplyDeleteCouthino's impact was not the same as last season for LFC granted, but his contribution to our title run has been great notably against ManCity, Arsenal and Everton amongst overs.
ReplyDeleteMissing out on the World Cup must hurt him and Lucas as it's being hosted in his homeland (Did you know?). In saying this I believed this should prove to motivate Couthino and highlight areas in which he needs to improve i.e. shooting, assist consistency and stamina. The best thing is that he has a lions heart compared to the likes of Moses and Aspas which is great to see.
"With Fabio, it was just a case of we had Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez, who I felt were going to play a lot of games; we didn't have so many games with no European football. Luis is so robust, he plays every minute of every game and he's a world-class striker.
ReplyDelete"So for Fabio's development - and nothing to do with not thinking he's a quality player, because I know him better than anyone - he needed to go out and get games to prove his worth. He's done that.
"He'll now come back a year later into our squad in the summer; you saw with his pace and his power and his ability to get a goal that he's going to add to the quality that we already have."
So that is one player off the list in your article where media were speculating of being sold. Borini is staying.
If Lucas is surprised he's not going he is delusional
ReplyDeleteThat's fine by me. Again, I wouldn't be at all confident if he were our only option up front at any stage of next season but as a squad player, fine. We've paid for him now so we might as well get some use out of him.
ReplyDeleteSakho is the french best CB and I believe he will become good there is not need of slling him, he is a vocal guy but he need to improve his english and get use to the players, next season he will become a real Sakho that the french fans loves, Kolo Toure can go now i do appreciate what he did for the team but I think we need a young team with energy because of our football style we also need experience and agger can offer that or jamie carraghar can just come out from retirement and give a team one more year like Scholes did with United that will be fantastic
ReplyDeleteHe adds depth to our bench and might not be a 20 goal a season striker but 10 EPL goals next season then it will be job done as far as I am concerned. Far better option than Moses.
ReplyDeleteLast paragraph cracks me up! Linked with dean lovren today
ReplyDeleteGerrard, Henderson, Lallana, Suso, Coutinho, Sterling, Allen. Lukas leaves, another DM comes. With 3 big competitions and aging Gerrard, that is excatly how many players we need in the middle.
ReplyDeleteLost faith? Or just went with the irresistable form of sterling?
ReplyDeleteGive Sakho trime he played bugger all 2 seasons ago played early on as a L.B and needed to adjust to a new league and new country.
ReplyDeleteThis guy will be a rock one i hope and pray the disbelievers will swallow.
I for one hope Toure does leave this summer. He was a good player and yes he is a good leader on the pitch but he is an accident waiting to happen and I would much rather see Ilori or Wisdom take his spot. I have a feeling we will see Toure, Coates and Agger all leave and then one quality CB will come in (Lovren, Papa etc). Leaving us with Skrtel, Sakho, Lovren/Papa, Illori and Wisdom. I would be happy enough with that for next season. Sakho has got the potential to be a monster, keep the faith. I remember when Kompany first joined City he didn't look the composed defender he does now. It can take CBs a while to adapt to the pace of the game over her so I say give him at least another year or 2 before truely judging.
ReplyDeleteSo why have you posted that here instead of on the article to which it pertains?
ReplyDeleteDani Parejo rumours are hotting up now but he is more a box to box CM. Not sure Rodgers is after a defensive midfielder. We have not played with one since Gerrard slotted into the deeper role and the system Rodgers deploys does not require one either.
ReplyDeleteHe looked tired and did not back track enough. It's the same story as with Lucas, they just sort of give up after a player goes past them. Happened many times,it is frustrating. Willian on the other hand has a Hendo/Kuyt workmanship, seen him running all over the place many matches.
ReplyDeleteGerrard occupies the traditional DM space even if he may not be performing the traditional DM role. There are plenty of roles there such as deep lying playmaker, half back, regista, whatever, but essentially we are still playing with someone occupying that space.
ReplyDeleteI know, but I think BR is wrong and hope he will come to senses.. Gerrard jus wont be able to play all our crucial matches,specially with the WC. And twice a week tempo with playing likes of barca, psg, manu etc woul wear out younger players..
ReplyDeleteMy point is that Rodgers will not be signing a player like Victor Wanyama.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a great fan of Skrtel if I'm honest. He's scored enough own goals in the season for a start and if the refs start clamping down on shirt pulling as suggested next season then were in the sh*t cause Skytel does it every game. zagged is injured a lot and Sahko needs more timesi we def need at least 1 top centre back as well as a left back . We need someone with excellent defensive skills but I'm slightly worried that Rodgers will look for a defender with great technical ability with good passing ability rather than bringing someone in that's actually great at defending. We shall see
ReplyDeletewe will see the best of Sakho next season and many more seasons after that. people seriously need to get behind the lad and give him some support because, like it or not, he is gonna be our best and most important centre back for the next ten or so years. i understand where people are coming from in regards to the two main errors he produced this season, it's just a shame imo that he hasn't had more playing time, especially earlier in the season, to get used to the pace of the premier league and eradicate those kinds of mistakes. mama' is an intelligent footballer, despite what people think and despite how he looks when he has the ball at his feet. i feel lucky, as a red, that we managed to pry him away from paris, but we all know the ins and outs of the reasons he left.
ReplyDeleteThat sure..He cost a lots..12m will gd to get him..i think we can get better players why nt ( Gundogan,Alonso,Rakitic,Barkley...
ReplyDeleteHes young and still a little inconsistent but most importantly he has the quality, he was immense imo against city and changed our fortunes against newcastle, imo he looked tired after that city game and for me this is the reason BR dropped him. Still 22 and will surely be a big player for us in the future
ReplyDeleteI thought Lucas and johnson were under more threat than allen that night
ReplyDeleteagreed he really does need to improve his finishing
ReplyDeleteIMO we need just 4 signings this season.
ReplyDeleteGriezmann, Rakitic, Lacazette/Konoplyanka and Diame
Also keep all CD and Borini.
I 100% agree I've never been a fan of Skrtel. I wanted him gone a while ago and although he has probably been our best CB this year (still made way too many individual mistakes) I really don't rate him. The problem is we can't just rip our whole team apart this summer we need some continuity so I can only see one new CB coming in. Thus I would expect Skrtel to stay. Maybe move him on in a year or two.
ReplyDeleteI think I am rememberting it right that Siqueira was our primary target last summer but Granada bumped the price up when we and Real were interested. I have read that we may still face competition for him this summer. I have really liked what I have seen of Morano in the Europa league once I heard he had been watched a little while ago.
ReplyDeleteI've heard Kolo is great in the dressing room and is experienced. However he's 34, this is the kind of player we should have had in 2004 not 2014.
ReplyDeleteNot part of the future at all, not quick enough and doesn't offer enough in goal scoring set pieces.
The way we played last season as BR said is to take risks, however we need centre backs who are comfortable on the ball.
I can only imagine what Jaimie would have written had Sakho made the mistakes Kolo has made this season.
ReplyDeleteI think you have these players the wrong way round.
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one that feels the comparison of Willian and Coutinho is flawed? They are very different players. Willian a much more natural winger than Cout. Cout being the more central playmaker type. If anything it should be a comparison to Oscar who apparently had a bit of a dud season.
ReplyDeleteYes Cout is brilliant but isn't the same kind of athlete as those other players. This season he has added much more wormanship to his game and hopefully that will continue. He has much more creativity than any of those players though.
ReplyDeleteagreed my friend.
ReplyDeleteWrong side of the pitch my friend.
ReplyDeleteGood point mate.
ReplyDeleteAllen played whole game but he was not at fault. Kev can't tell the difference between players and is clearly biased.
ReplyDeleteJaimie, that article is halfway down the page. No one is reading it as much anymore.
ReplyDeleteProbably end up injuring himself by strolling carelessly down some stairs though. Dream over.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if he'd be happy playing the same as he did this season. He's likely to be needed similarly again next season given the increased number of games, plus he's one of those experienced guys you could put in a side of younger players in an early round cup game. I can't see him being required any less so we'll have to see if that's enough for him. He's not got many years left at the top level so maybe he wants a bigger role in a slightly lesser team.
ReplyDeleteB Rodgers need to ship out: These centre midfielders this summer and bring in these 3 to replace them:
ReplyDelete1: DM: L Leiva(27) to Inter Or Napoli for 8-10M
2: CM: J Allen(24) to Everton or back to Swansea for 8-10M
3: AM: L Alberto(21) to Valencia or Seville for 5-7M
And they should be replaced by these three class quality upgraded players:
1: DM: Y M'Vila(23) Of Rubin Kazan for 8-10m
2: CM: I Rakitic(25) Of Seville Or A Herrera(24) Of A Bilbao for 18-25M
3: AM: A Lallana(26) Of Southampton for 18-22M
If Rodgers had brought Toure on when the score was 3-1 to Palace, it might just have been our year... Pressure would have been huge on City.
ReplyDeletePeople worry about age over ability too much, whether they are 17 or 33+. Anyone remember Gary McAllister???
3-1 at Palace that should read.
ReplyDeletethey have to pay 18 million or something so for next season according to the daily mail
ReplyDeleteI'm with you 100%. People tend to forget that Sakho came in and had no preseason with us, and then of course was sporadically injured throughout the season, so he didn't really have an opportunity to get up to full speed or to learn our system as well as players like Skrtel and Agger who've been around. He produced a couple "oops" moments, but that's because he was trying to play out of the back like he's supposed to without having had time to adapt...overall he did fine in that regard, and is excellent defensively I think. And he was captain of PSG at age 17...even though that was before their cash infusion that doesn't happen to just everybody, I think with him settled in next season we'll see some real leadership out of him. I'd like to see someone like Lovren brought in to partner him, with Agger moving on and Ilori coming back and getting good game time.
ReplyDeleteOK I stand corrected and take back everything I said... WOW you really know your stuff, oops no you don't sorry, again my mistake, and thanks for wasting 30 seconds of my life on reading that load of whatever it is.
ReplyDeleteRakitic is quality and I would take him for around £15 million maximum. The club has been linked with him before, but I honestly believe he will be at one of the big Spanish clubs come next season.
ReplyDeleteBarkley would never join Liverpool. Rakitic is quality and I would take him for around £15 million maximum. Alonso wouldn't be able to do the pressing in midfield that is required and I can not see him playing in the Gerrard role ahead of Gerrard and I don't think he would move back to us to warm the bench for when Gerrard gets tired.
Finally Gundogen would be an obscene amount of cash £35 million upwards would be the asking price, that coupled with his very serious back injury represents too huge a risk. These are the reasons we wont see the the said players in the iconic red jersey this year. YNWA JFT96
The more pressing concern in glen johnson. How he gets on the pitch and stays there when clearly showing a fear of receiving the ball or producing anything worthwhile with it, whilst at the same time defending like he is blind. Please god let real madrid come in for him
ReplyDeleteQuite frankly I'm stunned by your hypocrisy. You've been on Suarez's back since the day he signed for us, just for a hand ball. This guy was busted for taking cocaine and yet you welcome him with open arms?
ReplyDeleteSkrtel's joined Liverpool when he was 24 and his debut against Villa and an own goal against Havant wasn't impressive. It took him a year to acclimatise to the league. I imagine Sakho would. If he doesn't then Sakho has to go. While Sakho may look nervy, he has so far been solid as CB and only made a mistake when he was asked to play as a fullback. So we will see.
ReplyDeleteSurely the '11' players we're looking to cut aren't good enough to get on the pitch so why keep them? If they were as good as our starting XI we'd have great depth. They're not. Not even close, so keeping them to make up numbers is ridiculous when you could replace them with better players.
ReplyDeleteWe could sell (£60m): Reina, Jones, Kelly, Agger, Coates, Lucas, Suso, Alberto, Assaidi and Aspas.
Some of these players had absolutely nothing to contribute in the last campaign and keeping them is pointless for them and the club.
We could then buy for example (£110m): Vorm, Moreno, Lovren, Can, Rakitic, Pedro and Immobile.
Less players, but far, far better options/depth. Makes sense to me!