LaLiga 2018-19: Why Philippe Coutinho is struggling at Barcelona
Philippe Coutinho was bought by Barcelona a year ago, after the exit of Neymar. The Brazilian arrived at the Camp Nou with a lot expected of him.
His first season, or whatever was left of it, was a good start. However, it was quite clear right from the start that contrary to many people's expectations, he couldn't play the same role that Andres Iniesta did.
Coutinho's Barcelona career was starting to take off when a hamstring injury in early November ruled him out for three weeks. That is where the phenomenon Ousmane Dembele came in.
Dembele started making immense contributions to the team, mainly owing to his insane speed, skillful dribbling, and ambipedalism. He impressed on both flanks when given the opportunity, and soon became an indispensable part of Ernesto Valverde's setup.
By the time Coutinho recovered, his spot was taken. He was benched for most matches from there on. According to multiple reports, his agent expressed his annoyance about this to the coach, but Valverde just asked him to tell his client to perform on the pitch and earn his spot back.
Coutinho's confidence hit rock bottom, and confidence is essential in football.
The problem with Coutinho
He is trying too hard. Right now, he seems to be of the mindset that the only way to get into Valverde's good books is to score goals, perform tricks on the field, and dribble.
But his confidence is too low to score goals. His face says it all. No smile, not enjoying the game, sober eyes, no celebrations when the team scores - it is all very evident. Almost every time he is in a 1v1 situation, the pressure gets to him, and he misses easy chances to score.
He is performing tricks alright, but how is that contributing? He loses the ball soon after and leaves the flanks vulnerable, which was on display in the second goal by Sevilla in the first leg of Copa del Rey.
Coutinho's recent El Clasico performance was probably his worst in the Blaugrana colors. He didn't create any attacking chances on a night when he was expected to step up in Lionel Messi's absence.
The problem with Coutinho's dribbling is that he doesn't have the speed. It is well-documented that he isn't the fastest player on the pitch, but while dribbling against tight defenses in LaLiga, the speed to get away from defenders soon after is of utmost importance.
That's something Messi and Dembele have, but Coutinho doesn't. This is the core reason for his failed dribbles.
Lastly, we come to the most damning aspect - his decision-making. Coutinho is unable to decide what to do with the ball after he completes the dribble. He is not even able to decide where to spread out, to give a more attacking option to the player that has the ball, and that is simply not acceptable at a club like Barcelona.
Coutinho's statistics in the current LaLiga speak volumes about his dipped form. A meager 2.2 shots per game, 1 key pass per game, just 0.2 through-balls and crosses per game - his level has definitely receded since his move from Liverpool.
At Liverpool, in the 2017-18 Premier League season, he had 3.9 shots per game, 3 dribbles per game, 3 key passes per game and 2.7 long balls per game.
What should he do to make things right?
Coutinho needs to get the basics right first. He needs to be more productive on the field, and that comes with the right decision-making.
The shooting comes with confidence, so does the dribbling. But for now, he needs to learn to get to the right place at the right time.
What is Coutinho's future at the club?
If things continue this way, I'm convinced Coutinho will be sold in the summer for a 100M+ deal, which would bring in some much-needed funds to the club. If he wants to stay, he would need to make a case for himself in the next 6 months.
Coutinho is a world-class player and is more than capable of doing so. I don't doubt his ability one bit. But when you come to a club as big as Barcelona, you know the team isn't built around you.
A player must be willing to adapt to whatever position is available, which Dembele is doing perfectly, and which Coutinho needs to start doing.