20 Aug 2014

£20m star vs. Sterling: Who's the most important to LFC? Reds Fans give surprise verdict

Earlier this summer, Liverpool lost Uruguayan talisman Luis Suarez, but the club is still blessed with several superb attacking players, including Philippe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling, both of whom are increasingly integral to Liverpool's forward progress. Coutinho's recent call-up to the Brazil national team is a long-overdue reward for his steady progress, and Sterling has already tasted World Cup action (albeit briefly) with England. Both are vital players for the club, but of the two, who is the most important to LFC?

Last week, I conducted a poll on the site asking that question:

* 14200 people (approx) voted in the poll.

* 60% of participants voted for Coutinho.

For me, this result is incredibly surprising. £20m-rated Coutinho endured a mixed sophomore season at Anfield, whilst Sterling took the club by storm and consistently delivered excellent performances, especially in the second half of the league campaign.

Sterling is regularly hyped to the rafters by all and sundry (especially Rodgers, and ex-LFC players), and right now, it's fair to say that he's having a bigger impact on the team than Coutinho. Despite all that, the majority of voting fans selected Coutinho, which is a massive vote of confidence.

To be honest, I voted for Coutinho. For me, there's a touch of magic about the Brazilian that sets him apart. Maybe it's different for other fans, but whenever Coutinho gets the ball, I immediately feel a jolt of hair-raising excitement, which is very similar to the feeling I used to get watching the likes of Barnes, Beardsley, and McManaman.

I really hope Coutinho can push on this season. With Lallana, and (especially) Markovic in the squad, the Brazilian's place is under threat, and if he doesn't perform, he may find himself warming the bench sooner rather than later.

Author:


23 comments:

  1. There should have been an equal or both option, was one of the hardest polls to choose from in my opinion

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  2. Nevergonnacrackthecode9:27 pm, August 20, 2014

    Jamie most of the people just always support your opinion




    you conducted another poll where you argued who is our best attacker if i am not mistaken sterling came 2nd and coutinho came third


    the better attacker is normally more important
    so the two results are pretty contradictory

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  3. I am hoping added competition will aid Coutinho, he has been handed starts in the past after poor recent performances, Lallana will hopefully keep him on his toes.
    Also in midfield talk of Alex Song being available, I think that style of player could be a great addition, huge fan off Lucas over the years so much to the point i'd like whats best for him which would be a move away and also gives us the security to send can out on lone if the manger feels he would benefit from 30 games somewhere else this season. not sure about song in particular just a strong defensive midfielder with years of experience could be a solid acquisition

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  4. I think the poll was conducted just after the Dortmund game, which may explain the result a little.

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  5. Nevergonnacrackthecode9:33 pm, August 20, 2014

    can't wait to see sterling ,coutinho and lallana play together! , lallana is so underated

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  6. That poll result is really interestng. With Sterling, like Suarez and Torres, I find myself edging closer to the screen whenever he gets the ball because I know he can beat anyone on the pitch with his pace. When Couts is on his game he's a pure joy to watch but I don't feel like I get that as consistently as I'd like. Sterling, especially of late, is always going to create something out of nothing with that speed and he edges it for me; but to be honest, it's really close. It's like asking me whether I'd rather beat UTD or Everton in a cup final...it all depends on which side of the bed I wake up on

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  7. no wonder voting was outlawed in times past with results like that who voted a load of addicts from a crack den , sterling has been head and shoulder Liverpool best player let a lone tino in the last 8 months

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  8. Nevergonnacrackthecode9:44 pm, August 20, 2014

    coutinho can be replaced by lallana or suso


    sterling is irreplaceable

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  9. colonel cocknocker9:53 pm, August 20, 2014

    yeah i voted raheem. Hands down. I love coutinho but sterling is our best player imo. He's just so dangerous all over the pitch and he's aggressive EVERY time he gets it, BANG, straight at them. Although he's still got room to improve - I'd like him to warrior it up a bit like coutinho has done, Even tho he's strong he could hunt them down a bit more, but i guess he's saving energy for those lightning bursts.....

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  10. To be honest it's a honour to watch them week in week out. Both have a magic spark, and both can become world class very soon. Everyone can see that.

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  11. And before the Southampton match - nuff said

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  12. Untill Coutinho starts scoring more goals as a no.10 should...
    Sterling wins...
    Also Coutinho needs to produce CONSISTANTLY .. There's a lot of games (eg Southampton) where he has little or no influence.

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  13. I feel that pang of excitement when both of them get the ball. The only thing I would say is that we have other lightning quick wingers at the club whereas a feel Coutinho offers us something unique that nobody else in our squad can quite match.
    The really exhilarating thing about both these players is how young they both are. In 3 years time they'll be frighteningly good

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  14. I should probably add however that I voted for Sterling

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  15. I would say Sterling has more impact, but Coutinho is more crucial to our game. Sterling has all the right attributes of a winger, false 9, SS, etc. But he still lacks, like you point out, that touch of magic needed for our team to be successful. He is capable of producing it occasionally, as is Hendo, Stevie, and possibly Lallana and Surridge, but not frequently enough to become our main source of creativity. Essentially, he's the guy to look to change a game, but he needs service. Coutinho however is capable of magic much more consistently. He is our main creative output, and when he plays bad, its hard to get going, even when others are having a good game, like Sterling vs. Soton. Sterling was wreaking havoc on the Soton defense, but with Coutinho's performance off the mark, we couldn't grab a true foothold on the match. Again, Sterling has more impact, but Coutinho is more "important" to our team.

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  16. Coutinho can be replaced by suso?
    Don't think so my friend.

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  17. They are both valuable to the team and to be fair Sterling is more consistent at present but Coutinho is technically better. Sterling seems to have worked and has come to terms with his physicality which he uses to his advantage. If Coutinho does the same we will have an incredibly talented offensive line. For me Sterling seems to progress at an amazing rate which shows incredible game intelligence for someone so young and has the potential to become something great and Couthino has that magic skills that we associate with the stereotypical Brazilian which seems to endear him more to LFC fans including myself.

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  18. Sterling has been way more consistent for us and his pace makes teams think twice about pushing up. For that reason, I would say Sterling. Plus more goals.

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  19. The article did seem to focus on Coutinho a little more and that may have led some who voted.

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  20. Coutinho played most of last season as a #8

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  21. Suarez never had that much pace but what he lacked in that he made up for dribbling

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  22. I love them both and get that hair raising feeling when they get the ball, especially when they link up together, I just get the feeling that there is something brewing and Sturridge is just sitting in the back-round ready to clean up whatever they serve up. that trio has to be mind boggling for defences and then to throw lallana and markovic in there is awesome. i like the youth policy we have and the trust BR puts in these guys. Each of these players have progressed so well and so has Henderson. I like we have young wing backs and young midfielders that came in this window and BR has the chance to mold them, it has worked immensely well and hopefully he can do the same with them and really have a bright future.

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