Coutinho Needs To Get His Head Down & Get Back In Liverpool’s Team

Philippe Coutinho will no doubt be disappointed to still be at Liverpool this month. He made a big play to force a move to FC Barcelona but the Premier League side were not willing to let him go.

People have since asked what now for the Brazilian?

For me, it’s quite simple, the twenty-five year old has to sit down with Reds boss Jurgen Klopp and state that he’s ready to get back to work.

If that happens, then in return Klopp has to do his best to reintegrate the creative talent back into the Liverpool first team squad.

It’s best for all concerned that back injuries, statements and rejected bids are all forgotten. At least until next summer, when Barca will no doubt come calling again.

Liverpool obviously turned down those bids for a reason, mainly due to the fact that they wanted to keep one of their star players at the club. They wish to challenge for the Premier League crown and they’ll also want to enjoy a competitive run in the Champions League.

The Anfield club have enjoyed a good start to the season but they know games are coming thick and fast for the rest of the year and that Coutinho will be a player who can make an impact in the biggest of fixtures. He can provide valuable goals and assists.

So it makes no sense for the club to ostracise the talented forward from their pool. That would be cutting their nose off to spite their face.

Klopp might feel aggrieved that Coutinho, or a source close to Coutinho, made an issue between himself and the player but the German is canny enough not to let that become a problem that affects the sides harmony.

That’s why the gaffer has been diplomatic when discussing the situation:

“We still have a really good player in the squad who can play,”

For the number ten, he has to be playing football. He can’t go on strike for a year or make up phantom injuries all the team. He owes the Liverpool fans and his teammates more than that.

He also owes the club as a whole. While they didn’t pluck him from obscurity, he wasn’t going anywhere fast at Inter Milan and the Merseyside club paid around £8m for him and played him in the first team. He impressed with some fantastic performances and that was then rewarded with a long lucrative contract (which he signed back in January). A contract that his representatives didn’t insist on having a minimum release clause inserted, probably because that would have hit them financially!

The attacker also has to protect his own career.

Brazil have already qualified for next year’s World Cup and Philippe will want to be in Russia playing for SeleçãoIn order to be ready for the biggest of tournaments then Coutinho will have to be playing regularly for his club side.

If the playmaker wants to stay relevant and to get Barca back in for him in 2018, then he has to continue impressing on the field. Create too much disruption will cause bitterness and could see Liverpool refusing outright to ever sell him to the Catalan giants.

This summer has shown a few players that clubs are willing to take some of the power back and make their talent honour the bumper contracts.

It’s now up to the footballers to get back into the first-teams and then try and find a long-term solution through compromise at a later date.

I would certainly expect Philippe Coutinho back in the Liverpool side before September ends!

Leave a Reply