Emmanuel Petit believes Philippe Coutinho regrets leaving Liverpool

According to the Evening Standard, French world cup winning midfielder Emmanuel Petit believes former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho regrets swapping Anfield for the Nou Camp everyday.

The Brazilian playmaker forced Liverpool’s hand when he handed in a transfer request in the summer of 2017. The Reds managed to hold firm for half a season before cashing in for a mammoth £142million in January.

The 27-year-old has found that things are not always green on the other side and is currently out of favour at the Nou Camp. So frustrated have Barcelona gotten with the Brazilian that they were happy to offload him to Bayern Munich on loan. He is yet to nail down a starting position at the Bundesliga club.

Coutinho was the main man at Liverpool — Coutinho was the bonafide superstar at Liverpool

A self-taught lesson!

Petit’s comments are neither out of context nor without understanding. The Frenchman enjoyed three successful seasons at Arsenal before making the ill-fated decision to join Barcelona in 2000. Injuries and being played out of position made it hard for Petit to impress and he wound up returning to England after a solitary season in Spain.

“If I was Philippe Coutinho, every morning I would wake up and think to myself, ‘Why, why, did I sign [for Barcelona] in Spain?'”

He accepted that he regrets his decision to leave Arsenal and repeatedly used to question why he signed for the Spanish giants. Petit believes Coutinho will be feeling the same way he did.

Emmanuel Petit regrets his move to Barcelona — Emmanuel Petit knows what it’s like to regret a move to Barcelona

The former Arsenal star also gave a cruel but honest assessment that although Coutinho plays well at times, he is not really a first-team player at Bayern Munich.

One step backwards, two steps forward

Liverpool’s decision to sell Coutinho was seen by many as a sign of hara-kiri by the Reds. Losing their talismanic midfielder has, however, proved to be a blessing in disguise.

A change in tactics combined with smart investment have made the Reds a force to be reckoned with. It was exemplified last season as we defeated Coutinho and Barcelona on the way to the club’s sixth European crown.

Coutinho endured a cruelr eturn to Anfield — Coutinho and Barcelona were unceremoniously thrown out of the Champions League by Liiverpool

The Brazilian was an excellent player for Liverpool but the Reds have undoubtedly been a better team without him. Ironically, Coutinho has put up better numbers for Barcelona than at Liverpool. The Brazilian averages 0.56 goal contributions per game at the Nou Camp, an improvement over the 0.49 per game at Anfield.

It is all the more impressive that he has achieved these numbers playing out of position. Petit once revealed that the Barcelona management had no idea about where to play him. It pretty much seems to fit the bill here.

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Barcelona has a fine player on their hands, yet they have no clue how to get the best out of him. The player continues to be linked with a move to Liverpool and Chelsea. Unfortunately for him, the ship to Merseyside has already sailed.