Barcelona make surprising decison to bring attacker back into the fold
Philippe Coutinho suddenly has a new lease on life at Barcelona. He has Ronald Koeman to thank for his second chance with the La Liga giants.
Prior to Ronald Koeman’s arrival, it seemed inevitable that Philippe Coutinho would be returning to the Premier League this summer. Now, rather than taking his talents to England, the Brazilian attacker has been gifted a second chance to make his mark at Barcelona.
According to Coutinho’s agent, Kia Joorabchian, Koeman phoned Coutinho personally after the Champions League final to let him know that he was “very much in his plans.” That message was in sharp contrast to everything Coutinho had been hearing prior to his new manager’s arrival. Previously, the Brazilian was being offered to any European club capable of paying his hefty salary.
His immediate future with Barcelona is still cloudy. Koeman’s squad is filled to the brim with talented attackers that seem to be deserving of playing time. Lionel Messi obviously will play every match. If Antoine Griezmann stays at the club he’s likely to play ahead of Coutinho as well. That will leave Coutinho in a battle with starlet Ansu Fati for playing time out on the wing.
Despite that uncertainty, Coutinho should still count himself lucky that he has any opportunity to resurrect his career at Barcelona. Nothing about his play at Bayern Munich this season suggests that he’s ready to return to Spain and become a star.
The expectations for Coutinho must be adjusted immediately. Instead of being a talisman for Barcelona, he must shift his focus on becoming a valuable cog in the club’s attack. Work rate has never been the player’s strong suit, but he needs to prove to Koeman he can be trusted to press the opposition for long stretches of time. If he’s not willing to put in that sort of effort he’ll likely be back on the club’s transfer list when December rolls around.
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Ultimately, Coutinho has been given a temporary stay of execution at Barcelona. He has several months to show Koeman and the rest of the higher-ups at the club that he’s worthy of a regular spot in the club’s starting XI.