We all know how important Coutinho is to this current Liverpool squad and it cannot be understated. Klopp seems to trust the little Brazilian more than anyone else and we can only thank Brendan Rodgers for bringing him to Anfield. The South American has grown into a superstar over the years and this season, he has been so crucial in Liverpool’s push for a Champions League finish.
Everyone at the club seems to know what the midfielder is capable of, and Reds goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has praised the 24-year old and admitted that the little man is good at distributing the ball.
Liverpool beat West Ham United last weekend in what was a clinical performance from the boys, as the scoreline read 4-0 at the full-time whistle. It was a must-win game for us and didn’t they win it in style! Coutinho was in the thick of things as he tortured West Ham with his sizzling display. He was simply unstoppable and the reason? A tactical switch from our German manager.
Coutinho has played the majority of the games this season on the left wing in a 4-3-3 formation that has worked well for Jurgen Klopp. However, against the Hammers, Philippe was moved to central midfield, where he was given total freedom to pull the strings.
Mignolet spoke to Liverpool Echo and gave an insight into the tactical switch that saw the Brazilian flourish in the game. He said,
“In that position he gets more touches of the ball and it worked well. They can’t really put one marker on to him. Philippe can distribute the ball in a brilliant way. In the Premier League you need creative players to open games up. You look at Chelsea, they have Eden Hazard. Man City have Raheem Sterling, David Silva or Kevin de Bruyne. “
“Philippe’s pass put the first goal on a plate for Daniel. That made it a different game. He’s a good boy who works hard. He’s very important to us. It was a big positive that he signed that new contract. We all hope he stays at Liverpool for many years to come.”
Liverpool had spent time at Melwood last week working on the switch from Klopp’s favoured 4-3-3 formation to playing 4-4-2 with a midfield diamond with Adam Lallana at the tip.
Coutinho certainly benefited from having the two-pronged attack of Sturridge and Divock Origi to aim for. A team which had only scored three goals in their previous six hours of football looked so much more potent with Sturridge firing on all cylinders – four months after his last top-flight start.
“It was a very attacking line up with Daniel, Divock, Adam and Phil in it. But we clicked and created a lot of chances. With Daniel, there’s no discussion to be had about the ability that he’s got. You see how calm he stays in front of goal, going around the keeper to make it 1-0. He brings a real threat into the team and opponents have to adapt to that. They didn’t just have to look out for one striker up there. Divock was able to use Daniel’s presence to create chances himself. They can work well together.”
“We were very pleased with the result and the way that we played. We scored four goals but we could have had many more with the number of chances we created. The first half was difficult as we adapted to the conditions because we were playing on another dry pitch. But after the first goal we kicked on.”
Liverpool take on Middlesbrough on the final day of the Premier League campaign and a win would ensure Champions League football for next term. Let’s hope the boys finish things off on a good note.
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