"In Barcelona a lot of things did not turn out as we had imagined. Barca would no longer play their Johan Cruyff-inspired 4-3-3 which had been the blueprint of the club for so long – it would be a narrow 4-4-2, with Messi and Suarez as the forwards.Ultimately, that change of philosophy would cost Valverde his job, despite Barcelona winning LaLiga in both his seasons at the Nou Camp, and being top of the table when he was sacked.So what was the effect on Coutinho?
Historically, giant transfer fees isn't what they do.They are shrewd operators, and this just does not seem like their sort of deal, even if Barca were to cut the asking price down.Where does that leave Coutinho then? Then in the half-season before his departure Coutinho was near enough providing a goal or assist in every single game – a combined 13 in 14 league matches.He was bordering on world class before this surge in attacking output, but this now made him extraordinary.Philippe Coutinho did join Barcelona, eventually, something he described as "a dream move." Playing as either an attacking midfielder or as he had on occasion at Liverpool, on the left of a front three.His arrival had been considered as a possible replacement on two levels – for Neymar, to play alongside Lionel Messi and Suarez in that third attacking position, and, more likely, as a long-term midfield successor to Andres Iniesta.That summer, Iniesta left the club and soon after head coach Ernesto Valverde introduced a new style of play. Philippe Coutinho is the third most expensive footballer in history. Fast forward 12 months and he was the main man.Following that oh-so-close campaign Suarez left for Barcelona; 12 months later Sterling was on his way out too.For Sturridge, the summer of 2014 proved to be the zenith of a career plagued by injuries ever since.During two years of transition, in which time Rodgers was replaced as manager by Jurgen Klopp, Coutinho exerted more and more influence.Even during Rodgers' final months in charge, with Liverpool struggling, Coutinho had begun to turn heads.His growing reputation was thanks to spectacular goals, dribbling and interplay. The defending champions desperately needed this victory after suffering consecutive defeats against Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen. Philippe Coutinho showed glimpses of his brilliance, but couldn’t shine over a season for Bayern Munich. 'Never meet your heroes' springs to mind.Philippe Coutinho’s spell at Barcelona was by no means without its positives. They had squeezed every penny out of Barca, ultimately receiving a fee way in excess of what had been offered in the previous transfer window.At the time, only Neymar's game-changing switch from Camp Nou to Paris St-Germain for an eye-watering £200m, eclipsed it.But the Reds were losing a fans’ favourite, their best player, and someone who having only just turned 25 was in theory approaching his prime.While Liverpool used that small fortune to buy defender Virgil van Dijk (£75m) and goalkeeper Allison (£67m), helping them embark on a hugely successful two-year period, Coutinho's career has at best stalled, and at worst gone downhill.To understand just how much things have changed for Philippe Coutinho, we must first remind ourselves of just how good he was during his five-year spell on Merseyside.⚽️ Throwback to some Philipe Coutinho specials from his time in the Premier League at Liverpool...After half a season of settling in, the Brazilian quickly became a vital part of the Brendan Rodgers team that narrowly missed out to Manchester City in a gripping 2013/14 title race.Although not short of admirers, he certainly wasn't considered a key cog in the Reds' sudden rebirth as a serious Premier League contender.Liverpool’s three-pronged attack of Luis Suarez, Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge was ripping defences to shreds, and Coutinho was by no means a guaranteed starter. Jurgen Klopp said at the time that "any team in the world would miss a player like Coutinho. "That is surely music to the ears of an exiled playmaker.Whether we’ll ever see Coutinho recapture the form that lit up the Premier League during his time playing for Liverpool, who knows, but I suspect he’ll get another go at the "dream move" that at the first time of asking turned into something of a nightmare.Philippe Coutinho smiles for the cameras as he is introduced to Barcelona fansPhilippe Coutinho's stats for Barcelona and LiverpoolHelp your friends Know It All by sharing this article to your social media. But he was not brought in as the club’s record signing, the second most expensive player in history and then asked to change his game.How can anyone be surprised that it didn’t work? Arsenal have been heavily linked with former Liverpool attacker Philippe CoutinhoArsenal have been handed a boost in their reported pursuit of Philippe Coutinho.The Gunners have been heavily linked with a move for the former Liverpool attacker, with a potential loan move from Barcelona being mooted.Coutinho's time at Barcelona since his 2018 move from Anfield has no been a success and he has spent this year on loan at Bayern Munich.Despite nine goals in 35 appearances for the German champions, his stint at Bayern has proved to be hit and miss.Arsenal's hopes of landing Coutinho do, however, hinge on whether Bayern wish to keep him next season.Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has now handed the Gunners a boost by confirming that Coutinho will leave the Bundesliga side when his loan expires.He said: "Coutinho - as I said, the contract is running out and we cannot and will not make any further investments of this magnitude. So it’s still very much open.
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