Can Philippe Coutinho rediscover his form while on international duty?
Philippe Coutinho had a chance to try and be a Liverpool legend or be just another player at Barcelona. Unfortunately for him, he chose to go on a dream move to the Spanish club, but that dream has turned out to be a nightmare for the Brazilian.
Not long ago Coutinho was a key player in the Liverpool squad, lining up perfectly with Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino. But then came the winter of 2018 when he opted for a big money move to the Catalan club, succumbing to the saying "the grass is always greener on the other side".
The first six months for Coutinho were not that bad; he scored 8 goals in 18 games which is decent, to say the least. He then had more of an impact than Neymar during the World Cup, providing 2 goals and 2 assists. But since then, it has all been downhill.
In recent weeks Coutinho was booed by Barcelona fans in their 3-1 win over Rayo Vallecano after a disappointing performance. He has found himself on the bench as the manager prefers winger Ousmane Dembélé instead.
Coutinho hasn't really settled into life at Barcelona so far. This season he has played 26 times while scoring only four goals and providing a mere two assists, which is just a shadow of what he was at Liverpool.
The problem for Coutinho is that he hasn't really found a position at Barcelona. The manager has trialed him on the right wing, in central midfield and on the left wing, and he hasn't really performed on the right wing or as a central midfielder. He is more suited to playing on the left, but Dembele has settled into life much better than Coutinho, leaving the latter empty-handed.
In recent weeks Coutinho has been left on the Barcelona bench more often than not, which has led to rumours being thrown around that he could possibly depart in the summer.
With International fixtures coming up for Brazil, Coutinho could look to get some of the pressure off his back. He can stick to doing what he does best on the football pitch - scoring goals and creating chances.
If he can perform well for Brazil, maybe grabbing a couple of goals and assists, he can take some confidence into the upcoming Barcelona games. There are several important fixtures coming up, including the Champions League tie against Liverpool's arch-nemesis Manchester United, and Coutinho would want to make a mark in those games.
Coutinho and Brazil will take on Panama in Porto on Saturday 23rd March and then the Czech Republic three days later in Prague. The fans would be keenly watching Coutinho to see if he can gain some redemption while on national duty.