Coutinho reveals how it feels to share a dressing room with Lionel Messi and why Chelsea should not be taken lightly despite a lacklustre domestic form
Barcelona’s new boy, Philippe Coutinho joined the La Liga giants from Liverpool last month in a mega £142m deal. The Brazilian midfielder, after overcoming a thigh injury has now made six appearances and been able to score a goal for his new team in the 2-0 win over Valencia last week.
Coutinho seems to be enjoying and learning with his new teammates. He admits it’s special to share the Nou Camp dressing room with five-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi, Suarez and Iniesta.
Coutinho [Left] and Iniesta
He said, “I am enjoying my time together with him and also with Leo [Messi], for me they are idols. I’ve learned a lot from everyone and I’ve tried to take advantage of everything they taught me.”
Chelsea will meet Barcelona on 20th February at Stamford Bridge. Antonio conte is under fire as of late, it will be interesting to see what he can do for Chelsea to pull off against Barcelona.
But the Brazilian is in a mood to take their opponents lightly and believes that the blues will pose a major threat to his new team in the Champions League after meeting them on several occasions as a Liverpool player.
“Chelsea? They defend very well,” he explained.
“They have top quality players up front and are very strong on the counter-attack.
“It’ll be a great game and we’ll need to concentrate from the very start.”
Barcelona star Philippe Coutinho is fearful of playing Chelsea in the Champions League #CFC https://t.co/n4B3Bh9RJt
— Daily Star Sport (@DailyStar_Sport) February 14, 2018
Phillipe Coutinho will be cup-tied, having already featured in the competition for Liverpool. He, however, will be hoping that his team continue their pursuit of the Champions League trophy as Barcelona remains on course for an unprecedented third treble.
Author’s Take
No matter how Chelsea has been playing, they will still be really tough opponents over two legs. Barcelona cannot let complacency reek into their play. They will need to be on their toes to get past Antonio Conte’s men.
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