After impressing so much upon his arrival, the Brazilian has struggled to fit into Ernesto Valverde's tactical designs during the current season
The €160 million signing of Philippe Coutinho was supposed to be the final piece in the Barcelona jigsaw puzzle. The Brazilian was drafted in to Camp Nou from Liverpool with the toughest of challenges on his hands.
With Andres Iniesta set to leave the club, Coutinho represented exactly the kind of high-profile signing who would lead Ernesto Valverde's men through that shock and into the future. But so far, aside from a few glimpses of his obvious natural talent, he has failed to click in a team where he has looked all too dispensable so far.
Such is the playmaker's predicament that now, just 12 months down the line from that blockbuster transfer, a fresh move is already being mooted.
Newly rejuvenated Manchester United have been linked with a January transfer, a prospect that a few short weeks ago would have appeared laughable with the Red Devils submerged in crisis. But Coutinho is facing up to an uncomfortable reality: Perhaps at Barcelona he has become surplus to requirements.
To date the player has managed just nine starts in La Liga, a tally that even allowing for Valverde's rotation policy – he has started all of Barca's Champions League fixtures to date, for example – is a disappointing return. Worse, he has failed to sustain a decent start to the season, with his last goal in any competition coming in October when he opened the scoring in the Catalans' 5-1 destruction of Real Madrid.
Coutinho has been consigned to the bench for his team's last four run-outs in the league, a decision that has barely seemed to affect Barca on the pitch as they ran out victors on all four occasions to break free at the summit. So why has the former Liverpool man failed to follow through on his promise and become the new Iniesta everyone at Camp Nou hoped for?
It is not all the player's fault, of course. Coutinho has been hurt more than anyone by the resurgence seen from Ousmane Dembele, who just over a month ago appeared on the verge of his own exit as Barca tired of his disciplinary issues.
The France winger has contributed three goals and two assists in his last six games, pushing himself into permanent contention for a first-team spot. That brilliant form has necessitated a change in tactics at the club.
From the beginning Valverde has favoured a 4-4-2 set-up with Barca, using first Iniesta and later Coutinho as a roving midfielder behind the undisputed pairing of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in the final third. But with Dembele back in the fray the coach has switched to something approaching the 'classic' Blaugrana 4-3-3, with the Frenchman taking Neymar's place on the left of the trident.
The solid bank of three industrious, uncompromising ball-winners and distributors remains, leaving Coutinho in a sort of tactical no-man's land as a more delicate creator. He now enters matches in the very final minutes, usually in Dembele's place, in order to keep hold of possession and take the sting out of matches with Barca in the ascendancy.
Within the club, however, those in charge will not countenance cutting their losses in the face of United interest. “Coutinho’s a player with a lot of experience, one of the best players in Europe and he is ready to play [for] five minutes or 90 minutes,” director Guillermo Amor explained to Movistar.
“He’s always played well for Barca, he could play [every game] from the off. Barca signed him because he’s one of the best in the world and he’s going to give us a lot.
“He’s got many years left on his contract and a lot to give to Barcelona.”
There is no doubt that at his best, and in the right team, Coutinho can offer a great deal. He showed as much in his first six months at Barca, when all the concerns about losing Iniesta suddenly seemed less severe thanks to his brilliant introduction to life in La Liga.
The current season, though, has thrown up the most serious challenge in Coutinho's career since he struggled to make his mark as a youngster at Inter. It is up to him to adapt to Valverde's tactical alterations and prove he can make an impact, and not go down as an expensive failure at Camp Nou.
kuzabkpry
147
Well this issue is very simple, when i keep telling people Barca is too big for Valverde, they think I'm joking, the players on Barca team are all world's class, you must be a very experienced coach to handle this team, and make sure to carry on rotation, Coutinho is a great player, likewise Dembele and Vidal, but this coach is the problem, you don't beed to be favoritism, when it comes to these three, just carry on rotation, that's all.
Mosanya
103
we should all understand that Coutinho is not performing well since he returns from injury and Vidal and Dembele are playing very well so Valverde is right to start Dembele and Vidal ahead of Coutinho because if the team lose its the coach who is being blem for the lost so he has to choose players who are playing very well and can help the team. ...Coutinho is not the first player to be drop by Valverde because Dembele and Vidal have also be drop when they were not playing well so it's Coutinho who need to work hard to take his place again no player is untouchable in the team apart from Messi so nobody should blem Valverde because Dembele is playing better than Coutinho and any good coach will start Dembele ahead of Coutinho and Vidal is also doing a great job for the team he help the team both in defence and attacking.
dettaboss4l
96
Coutinho is one of the best players in the world, but you can't blame Him or Dembele for him being benched, remember Dembele was bought to replace the Wing Trickster Neymar while Coutinho was bought to replace the the Midfield Magician Andres Iniesta, I think I have to blame Ernesto Valverde on this one, he is using Coutinho in a position is not used to... Look at last season, He was a Magician in the Midfield. He was more involved in the play, He scored more goals and creates more passes in the midfield.Now he is being bench for a position he doesn't play.I wouldn't be surprised if no Megastars would want to join Barca under Valverde
Emmanuel4jesus12
79
This issue is very easy to understand. coutinho is an attacking midfielder from his former club, when Iniesta is getting older and being injured they decided to look for a person that can play His role in the transfer market. unfortunately, coutinho is the best bet for that position, while they signed dembele to replace Neymar Jr, since the signing of coutinho, he has been playing well in the midfield position, scoring goals and creates assist, but when dembele was injured against Tottenham Hotspur, he was forced to the wing position he has never played, it is not easy to cope with that position, I realized that since then, he has lost his torches on the ball and the coach prefer to use Vidal ahead of coutinho or Arthur, coutinho is very offensive in the midfield than those two guys, Vidal is a defensive midfielder, he is only good in defence because of his physicality, the man need to put coutinho back to the midfield position if he wants to get the best out of him, he can't perform at that wing position he has never played in his career. he needs to rotate him and Arthur in the attacking midfield and Vidal for Rakitic or Buskuet, Malcom for dembele, that's how the rotation should go in my own opinion, it is not easy to play a role you are not used to, if he doesn't get the line up right before they face a though team in the Champions League, like Manchester City, they will find it difficult to win
choodibooty
70
I think coutinho is a very talented player and with some patience he will deliver for us,but what i see now from him is lack of self belief,he use to be that player thay has the ball turns complete a dribble choot and score,but lately his been trying but failing,he just needs a boost of confidence and some extra work in training he will be back to he's best,however I'm not sure where the coach would field him because we need a player like dembele that can get behind defence with his technique and speed to get into a scoring position, so for me I hope he get back to his best but at the same time dembele is improving so it will be hard to fit in you can use him in Arthurs role but I don't think he carries the ball as well as Arthur so maybe he should go man u or wait for messi to retire
Gabrieljackson
68
his time will come here is just going through a rough patch now
Mosanya
67
Coutinho has been playing poorly as an attacker, he is struggling to bench Dembele in that position but we bought him as Iniesta replacement so why not play him there? This is reasons why i want valverde out, he don't know how to manage players. Rakitic play every match while Coutinho and others are benched. Sometimes he should play Coutinho Sergio and Arthur in midfield or Coutinho Vidal and Arthur. Try to be changing the line up so that everyone will get game time. Dembele, Suarez and Messi also need to sit out sometimes so that Malcom , Denis and Alena will play. You can literarily predict our next lineup unless injury come up.