What will Philippe Coutinho bring to Bayern Munich?

After an underwhelming stint with Barcelona, Bayern Munich are hopeful Philippe Coutinho can regain his world-class form and help the club in their treble pursuit.

In one of the most unexpected moves of the summer, FC Bayern Munich acquired Philippe Coutinho on a one-year loan from FC Barcelona. Bayern agreed to a loan fee of €8.5 million and will have an option to buy next summer for a fixed price of €120 million.

In essence, the deal makes complete sense for both sides.

Bayern is bringing in a playmaking threat who is capable of changing the complexion of a game within seconds. For Barcelona, the deal is a win for the club from a financial standpoint. According to Onda Cero Radio journalist Alfredo Martinez, Barcelona will be saving over €40 million since Bayern will not only be paying the loan fee but also Coutinho’s salary for the year and other variables as well.

So, after an underwhelming season with Barcelona, Coutinho will have the opportunity to redeem himself with a new club in a league unlike one he has played in before.

While the loan is a low-risk, high-reward move, there are doubts over just how he will fit in with Niko Kovac’s Bayern. The uncertainty from the fanbase and those within Bayern over Coutinho’s arrival is justified considering his inconsistencies during his time with Barca. But his struggles there were more for tactical reasons than his talent.

Philippe Coutinho’s short time with Barca can be viewed from two angles: success in the midfield and a struggle in the winger role.

In the 4-4-2 setup during the 2017-18 campaign, manager Ernesto Valverde utilized Coutinho as a midfielder playing out on the left and right rather than the center midfield spot in an effort to provide him with freedom to push up higher into the final third. Coutinho was also given more on-ball duties to play in behind Messi and Suarez while having the ability to create at will.

The early results signaled not only Coutinho’s success in adapting to Barca’s possession-based style but also exemplified his importance to having him in the midfield. In 18 La Liga appearances during the season, Coutinho averaged a fair 1.99 key passes per 90, which was much higher than Andres Iniesta’s 0.83 and Ivan Rakitic’s 0.92. The Brazilian international was not shooting nor creating at an unparalleled rate for a midfielder like in his Liverpool run but with 13 goal contributions, he showed he had the knack to be influential on a game-by-game basis.

In the following season, Coutinho began in the midfield playing in Valverde’s new 4-3-3 setup that saw him link with Dembele and Alba on the left flank. After a month and a half, Valverde pulled the plug on the experiment and opted for a rotation of Vidal and Arthur — two midfielders that were more efficient in pressing and maintaining the structural shape of the formation. Coutinho did not fit the bill to be an incisive midfielder in Valverde’s new setup due to his tendency to leave his line and inability to be a defensive presence.

Thus, Valverde’s switch triggered a domino effect that landed Coutinho in the winger role — a move that became a failed experiment within months. The 27-year-old averaged a low 1.39 key passes per 90 and 3.39 passes to the box after his switch to the left-wing. From losing possession to inactivity over long periods of time on the wing, Coutinho was never able to accommodate to such a rigorous role.

Now with Bayern Munich, Philippe Coutinho’s success with the club will inevitably hinge on the tactical decisions of Kovac.

As illustrated during his time with Barca, Coutinho is not suited to fulfill the responsibilities of a winger in a possession-based system. He is not capable of beating multiple defenders on the dribble from wide spaces nor is he able to efficiently use his vision to create goal-scoring opportunities from out wide. He can be impactful if situated in a quicker, counter-attacking style like with Liverpool, rather than a possession-based system with Barca where play is methodically built up through phases on the pitch. Consistency is a key component for players to succeed in any given position but to the displeasure of the fan base, the Brazilian did not deliver in this criterion while playing in the wing throughout the season.

It is of high importance that Kovac not only understands why Coutinho struggled last season but also is set on not following Valverde’s tactical error. The Brazilian is much better off playing in his natural position as a traditional central midfielder or as a central attacking midfielder in a more fluid tactical system. Orchestrating play from behind the forwards and operating within the space in between the opponent’s midfield and defensive line is where he is much more comfortable in.

The central attacking midfielder position is one way Kovac will be able to use Coutinho. It was a staple of Kovac’s 4-2-3-1 system last season, which was occupied by James Rodriguez periodically throughout the Bundesliga campaign. James was given the freedom to move around the pitch while being the link from the midfield duo (double-pivot) to the attack. James simply thrived in both the number eight and 10 roles with 3.92 key passes per 90 and 5.87 passes to the box per 90 in league play last season.

In the central attacking midfielder role, Coutinho can flourish just as James did since the responsibilities for the position aligns with his strengths. In Kovac’s 4-2-3-1, Coutinho will be given the freedom to move out of position as he pleases to do so. He will be allowed to gravitate into open space to counter overloads or other similar sturdy defensive tactics. More importantly, he is going to be given the opportunity to continually link with striker Robert Lewandowski and wingers Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman out wide.

As he mentioned during the introductory press conference, Coutinho much prefers playing as the number 10, especially since his best days with Liverpool and the Brazilian national team have come in this role.

Now in games where Kovac opts with a 4-3-3 setup, Coutinho’s skill set allows him to adapt to playing the number eight role as well. The responsibilities contrast in a few minor aspects including the fact that a number eight must be able to maintain and distribute possession at a much higher rate. But as shown during his Liverpool days or in several instances with Barca, Coutinho can manage to perform in this role at an exceptional standard. The Brazilian can spray out possession while navigating upfield with off-ball runs.

Of course, there is always the option for Kovac to play Coutinho as a winger but playing time might not be a guarantee in this position; the club has four other players that can play this position, including Ivan Perisic. In games where Coutinho is tasked to play as a winger, Kovac must instruct him to play more in the half-space and center portions of the pitch in order to prevent him from being isolated out wide — a situation that was seemingly a regular occurrence in his Barca tenure.

With the right tactical gameplan, Coutinho may just have what it takes to be the main catalyst in Bayern’s attacking system. The talent is there for him to potentially return to form and considering he is playing in a team with an embarrassment of riches in top Bundesliga attackers, he has all that he needs to mirror the success he once had with Liverpool as one of the top attacking midfielders in the world.

Regardless of the success that Coutinho will have with Bayern, the loan deal may just be a one-year move. Bayern have the financial resources to explore a €120 million buy option but as has been rumored over the past year, the club has their eyes on retooling for the future with the hope of soon acquiring Bayer Leverkusen’s Kai Havertz and Manchester City’s Leroy Sane. Meanwhile, Barca and Coutinho may not see eye-to-eye on the future.

So, for Coutinho, he must be able to showcase his value as a midfielder this season in order to attract the interests of other top clubs for next year’s summer transfer window.

Nonetheless, all of the focus for both sides is on this season. Bayern are hopeful Coutinho can be just the acquisition that will help the club defend their Bundesliga title and propel them to once again become a serious contender in the Champions League.