Leaving FC Barcelona in the form of a loan with option to buy for Aston Villa, Philippe Coutinho is slowly finding his feelings in England. The Brazilian attacking midfielder is already proving effective with Steven Gerrard’s side and emerging from a convincing January international break with Brazil.
Since signing for FC Barcelona on January 9, 2018 for 135 million euros, Philippe Coutinho’s (29) best accomplishment is a double in the quarter-finals of the 2020 Champions League during his loan to Bayern Munich where he fully participated in the 8-2 humiliation… Of the Catalan club. A symbolic moment that demonstrates how the passage of the native of Rio de Janeiro in Catalonia has never worked. Announced leaving this winter, he quickly took the path of Aston Villa as part of a loan with an option to buy. Finding his former Liverpool partner Steven Gerrard on the Villans bench, Philippe Coutinho could count on heavy support to try to revive. “He is an exceptional footballer who has a very impressive CV, with many accolades. I’m really happy that we were able to sign him and I’m looking forward to working with him. He’s a player I’ve enjoyed playing with before and I know the rest of the Aston Villa squad will benefit from his quality and experience.” explained in particular the English technician at the time of the arrival of Philippe Coutinho.
The great players respond in the big matches and Philippe Coutinho was able to count on a baptism of fire with the Birmingham club against Manchester United. For his first at Villa Park, he came on in the 68th minute as the score was 2-0 as a substitute for Morgan Sanson. Dominated, even if they raised their heads in the second half, their team regained hope with the contribution of the Brazilian. Very quickly, Jacob Ramsey reduced the score (77th) before offering a good ball to Philippe Coutinho. The latter did not need to be asked and deceived the vigilance of David De Gea (81st). A valuable achievement that allowed the Villans to snatch a 2-2 draw. His young teammate Jacob Ramsey was happy to have helped him get off to a good start: “I grew up watching Coutinho at Liverpool and Barcelona too. To help him on his home debut, his Villa debut, and to score, it can’t get much better than that.”
A winning return to selection
Holder in the next match against Everton (1-0 victory), he had a good match and was able to leave for the Brazilian selection with peace of mind. Back in the small papers of Tite, the one who has 66 caps (19 goals and 11 offerings) with Brazil, played his first minutes since October 2020 against Ecuador on January 27. Quickly released for tactical reasons after an expulsion during this match, he started on February 2 against Paraguay. A match largely won (4-0) which allowed him to show the extent of his qualities. Performing, Philippe Coutinho offered a sumptuous goal on a good service between the lines of Marquinhos. His heavy shot under the crossbar from 25 meters left no chance for the opposing goalkeeper. After this successful match, he spoke to Globe TV : “(The goal represents, editor’s note) A lot. Absent for a long time, I had a difficult, complicated injury. I was recalled, I came back now, I played, I left at the start of the last game.
[📺 RÉSUMÉ VIDÉO] 🏆 #WCQ2022 🇧🇷🇵🇾 What a match for Brazil which crushes Paraguay 4-0!🔥 Coutinho and Antony scored two exceptional goals!😫 Albirroja is eliminated from the Cup race…https://t.co/ S2DguVF0YE
— beIN SPORTS (@beinsports_FR) February 2, 2022
“The coach gave me another chance today, we won the game and I’m happy to score in this stadium and with all the Brazilian fans there” he continued. A few months before the 2022 Cup, this return to form comes at the best of times for Philippe Coutinho who wants to continue this momentum: “I lived through a very difficult period, I was absent from the field for nine months, I underwent three operations. There are times when you see the difficulty pass, but I had the full support of my family at all times. […] Today’s match doesn’t change anything, just like before, either. I want to keep working to evolve. It’s a daily argument. In the clubs, we have to do our best to be able to come back.” Against Leeds United this Wednesday, Philippe Coutinho will return to the Premier League games with the desire to confirm that his performances were not just a flash in the pan.
