Former Manchester United forward Terry Gibson has claimed that this Barcelona star is not living up to the expectation.
Barcelona made a huge bid of £146m this January to get the Liverpool superstar Phillipe Coutinho. This was one the highest bid of all time after PSG’s Neymar Jr. Expectations were very high from the Brazilian playmaker as he moved to Camp Nou but according to Gibson, he hasn’t done his reputation good.
Coutinho has scored 3 goals for Barcelona so far
“I must admit I am hoping, and expecting, to see more from Coutinho, to be honest,” Gibson said on the La Liga Weekly podcast. “I know there is a settling in period, but he’s come in as the finished article, whereas Ousmane Dembele is the younger player, with fewer games under his belt. Coutinho has come in as the finished article.”
Barcelona was nearly defeated in their last feature against Sevilla but Messi and Suarez came to rescue for a late flurry of goals to register a 2-2 draw. Gibson indicated that the Brazilian was not able to contribute in the nail-biting encounter.
“Watching him at the weekend, it was clear how much difference there was in the Barca side when Lionel Messi came on. I know it’s not fair to judge Coutinho against Messi, but he didn’t contribute to the cause.”
The Brazillian has scored 3 goals and has two assists to his name in 13 appearances for the La Liga giants, who are unbeaten in the top flight.His debut was delayed due to a hamstring injury. He has only shown glimpses of the phenomenal form that warranted his huge price tag, and Sky Sports’ Spanish football expert Gibson has been expecting more.
Author’s Take :
Phillipe Coutinho is not one of those who can be kept in a shell for long. If his performances with Liverpool is taken into account, he used to take all responsibilities on his own shoulders scoring with some lovely long shots in crunch situations. He has been the one who has put his hand up under pressure. Here at Barcelona, he cannot take the goal on his own with Messi and Suarez in sight.
He has to go for assists and he also hasn’t played in enough matches for Barcelona to show his talent. This is not the right time to analyse his performance critically.
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