Philippe Coutinho

[vlahka]

Nah I'm not having that.
Yes Coutinho will look a better player when Sturridge is fit, yes he'll have more options if Sterling (or even Borini) played upfront but you can't say it's everyone else's fault that he isn't playing well.

The absolute minimum Coutinho should be producing every time he plays is that work rate, that desire to win the ball back, strength in the tackle, all the 'other' side of football which earns the right to play the pretty stuff.

He isn't doing that and that is down to him, no-one else.
Then factor in his non existent end product and you have a MoTD footballer, someone who looks good on clips and highlights but actually offers nowhere near enough over the 90 minutes.

I agree with the absolute minimum point. Though right now I dont think the team itself has that desire to begin with. He's also one of the few players who can skip around 2-3 players with the ball. If he can zip past a midfield and then pass the ball to a forward who has a football brain and can get into an open area instead of our current stumps, he would thread that ball to them and then good chance of goal.

[Tee]

Nah I'm not having that.
Yes Coutinho will look a better player when Sturridge is fit, yes he'll have more options if Sterling (or even Borini) played upfront but you can't say it's everyone else's fault that he isn't playing well.

The absolute minimum Coutinho should be producing every time he plays is that work rate, that desire to win the ball back, strength in the tackle, all the 'other' side of football which earns the right to play the pretty stuff.

He isn't doing that and that is down to him, no-one else.
Then factor in his non existent end product and you have a MoTD footballer, someone who looks good on clips and highlights but actually offers nowhere near enough over the 90 minutes.

it's not rocket science.

I would rather have a hungry player with less quality fighting for the team than a lazy player. Coutinho has so much to prove still IMO and seems to have delusions of grandeur the way he ambles around. Not on.

[The Birdman]

He's not working hard enough for sure, and we know he can do it (Arsenal, Everton last season for example) ....but the team is totally dysfunctional and he suffers from it more than most IMO.

Or you could argue that Coutinho is a fair weather player, looks great when things are going well and goes missing when times are tough.
Footballers can smell players like that a mile away, only want the ball in space, hides behind a player so they can't be passed to, as Carragher said in his book we've had loads of players who are world beaters in training then go missing in games.

Maybe Coutinho, as a current Brazilian international should be leading by example, maybe he should be working his nuts off to turn our season around instead of letting Rooney run off him because he can't be arsed.

Mentally weak Carragher called him, he's bang on.
Coutinho isn't some young kid we make excuses for, look at the level of expectation on Sterling who is a couple of year younger.
Coutinho averages a goal every 8 games in his career and 1 every 7 with us.

That from a player who mostly plays in the '10' and usually has little defensive responsibility.

[Lecter]

I agree with the absolute minimum point. Though right now I dont think the team itself has that desire to begin with. He's also one of the few players who can skip around 2-3 players with the ball. If he can zip past a midfield and then pass the ball to a forward who has a football brain and can get into an open area instead of our current stumps, he would thread that ball to them and then good chance of goal.

Biggest criticism of Coutinho has to be his goal threat

He doesnt score anywhere near enough goals from midfield and even in terms of creativity he doesnt have an assist to his name this season does he???

Whereas Lallana who seems to take an awful lot of criticism in comparison has scored more goals this season and has more assists and has played significantly less games than Coutinho

[The Birdman]

While I'm at it, Joe Allen gets pelters on here, he tries his bollocks off every single week, much more than Gerrard and Coutinho to name but 2.
Sterling gets slaughtered for being 20 year old and missing chances.

Let me say for a fact, it takes a huge amount of courage to keep getting in the positions to miss, away at Utd, 70,000 hammering you.

****ing piss easy to beat a man in the centre circle then give the ball away, cowards way out.

[The Birdman]

Biggest criticism of Coutinho has to be his goal threat

He doesnt score anywhere near enough goals from midfield and even in terms of creativity he doesnt have an assist to his name this season does he???

Whereas Lallana who seems to take an awful lot of criticism in comparison has scored more goals this season and has more assists and has played significantly less games than Coutinho

Coutinho hides.
He's scared to miss so doesn't have the mental bravery to put himself in the position to score, or be passed to in a decent position to score.

Pot shots from 25 yards with 6 men between him and the goal, as bad as Andros Townsend

[Darkon]

He is a product of lack of confidence and coherence in the team atm, as is just about every player. There seems to be none that can lift themselves above the team right now, and when it's done it's usually Gerrard taking the mantle - and that is happening less than what we are used to.

Coutinho have shown to be very good in a well functioning team, but also falls together with the team. The same at Inter Milan I would say. Our problem is really, that we have very few players that doesn't do the exact same thing.

[vlahka]

He doesnt score anywhere near enough goals from midfield and even in terms of creativity he doesnt have an assist to his name this season does he???

These stats claim he's had 1 goal and 2 assists so far this season. No huge surprise though since you cant pass a ball to a player who wont move away from the opposition.

Last season it was 5 goals and 8 assists. But he also had Suarez and Sturridge in front who actually ran around.

[danperkins]

Or you could argue that Coutinho is a fair weather player, looks great when things are going well and goes missing when times are tough.
Footballers can smell players like that a mile away, only want the ball in space, hides behind a player so they can't be passed to, as Carragher said in his book we've had loads of players who are world beaters in training then go missing in games.

Maybe Coutinho, as a current Brazilian international should be leading by example, maybe he should be working his nuts off to turn our season around instead of letting Rooney run off him because he can't be arsed.

Mentally weak Carragher called him, he's bang on.
Coutinho isn't some young kid we make excuses for, look at the level of expectation on Sterling who is a couple of year younger.
Coutinho averages a goal every 8 games in his career and 1 every 7 with us.

That from a player who mostly plays in the '10' and usually has little defensive responsibility.

[Lecter]

These stats claim he's had 1 goal and 2 assists so far this season. No huge surprise though since you cant pass a ball to a player who wont move away from the opposition.

Last season it was 5 goals and 8 assists. But he also had Suarez and Sturridge in front who actually ran around.

According to the official site he has 0 assists this season

[The Birdman]

These stats claim he's had 1 goal and 2 assists so far this season. No huge surprise though since you cant pass a ball to a player who wont move away from the opposition.

Last season it was 5 goals and 8 assists. But he also had Suarez and Sturridge in front who actually ran around.

I don't know about assist stats but goals are -
12/13 - 3 goals in 13 games
13/14 - 5 goals in 37 games
14/15 - 1 goal in 19 games.

Thought foreign players were supposed to get better as they get used to the PL?
Take the last 2 seasons which includes the one where some thought he was amazing and it's 6 goals in 56 games.

I just think Coutinho get's off lightly compared to others in our team who get battered for doing much more than him, the romanticism of Liverpool having a small Brazilian playing for us seems to get him excused for just not delivering enough.
I couldn't give a **** if he's a wonderful technician or not, I've said it numerous times before football is about

Scoring goals
Creating goals
Stopping goals.

If anyone isn't doing one of all of those to the level expected of them then they shouldn't be in the team.

[Maxiedge]

Coutinho can be frustrating but when he does go by 2 or 3 players, it surely must give a boost to the team to see that happening on the pitch and lift their confidence. My word they need it.

[Tee]

Coutinho can be frustrating but when he does go by 2 or 3 players, it surely must give a boost to the team to see that happening on the pitch and lift their confidence.

Not when there is no end product. And it must be equally falling when we are under pressure and he offers nothing defensively.

A change of attitude and application is required.

[dww]

He is a product of lack of confidence and coherence in the team atm, as is just about every player. There seems to be none that can lift themselves above the team right now, and when it's done it's usually Gerrard taking the mantle - and that is happening less than what we are used to.

Coutinho have shown to be very good in a well functioning team, but also falls together with the team. The same at Inter Milan I would say. Our problem is really, that we have very few players that doesn't do the exact same thing.

I really think one of the things that defines good teams is having the right mix of players. For a while now we have had a lot of shrinking violets with only one or two determined or calm heads. The core of our team (Gerard arguably apart) seems very fragile and has done for a fair while.

[Fosterbloke]

I really think one of the things that defines good teams is having the right mix of players. For a while now we have had a lot of shrinking violets with only one or two determined or calm heads. The core of our team (Gerard arguably apart) seems very fragile and has done for a fair while.

Especially when you see the strength and desire from Chelsea or Man City players. I think we should play Can more, he strikes me as a driven player that can push others around.