His arrival at Liverpool in last January’s transfer window was afforded little fanfare or heightened levels of expectation. Certainly, there was no denying Philippe Coutinho’s talents but the young Brazilian’s record prior to moving to Merseyside hinted at a player who was far from the finished product:
With Luis Suarez, Steven Gerrard and fellow new-boy Daniel Sturridge all vying for our consideration, Coutinho was afforded time to settle as a regular under Brendan Rodgers but by the time the season ended, had done enough to suggest he could well be a major contender in the 2013/14 campaign.
Introduced towards the end of the Gameweek 26 home defeat by West Brom, Coutinho soon cemented a first-team place and started all 12 of Liverpool’s subsequent league matches. Utilised on the left in Rodgers’ preferred 4-3-3, he also operated on the flank when the Reds shifted to a 4-2-3-1 to allow Suarez to tuck in behind Sturridge, but Coutinho also had a brief central berth in the first-half of the Gameweek 37 win at Fulham when Rodgers trialled a 3-5-1-1 formation, with the Brazilian handed the role in “the hole”.
Key Factors
- Coutinho has quickly shown he is tailor-made for Rodgers’ style of play. His pace, vision and trickery, allied with an improving eye for goal and impressive work ethic, is likely to see him start the vast majority of games next time out. Already, his starting role looks assured regardless of further summer acquisitions – incoming new boy Iago Aspas looks set to force Stewart Downing down the pecking order on the right, though the Spaniard may also vie with Sturridge for the central role if Suarez decides to leave.
- Crucially, while the likes of Suarez, Sturridge and Aspas will be classified as forwards, Coutinho should maintain his midfielder classification in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game – a fact that is likely to prove significant and boost his out of position prospects, with Rodgers expected to roll out a 4-3-3 more often than not.
- Having started at 6.5 in FPL last time out, there’s no doubt a hike in price is on the cards but – given he has just 12 Premier League starts to his name and isn’t on spot-kicks, set-pieces or corners –Coutinho is likely to remain outside of the premium bracket. Gerrard’s return to form last term is set to threaten the double figure bracket, while a ceiling of 8.5 seems realistic for the youngster. With Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott, Santi Cazorla, Juan Mata and Eden Hazard all expected to come in at 10.0 or over, Coutinho may well prove outstanding value and help free up budget for our three man front lines.
- From just 12 starts, Coutinho produced three goals, seven assists and six bonus points – an average of 5.75 FPL points per start. Most impressively from a Fantasy perspective, he showed a real consistency, producing attacking returns in seven of his first XI appearances and the Brazilian also demonstrated his explosive capabilities with three sets of double figures to his name.
- His performances in Suarez’s enforced absence through suspension bode particularly well for any would-be suitors. The Uruguayan is, of course, suspended for the opening six matches of 2013/14 and has made no secret of his intentions of sealing a move away from Merseyside this summer – Coutinho flourished in the four games without Suarez, producing a goal, four assists and four bonus points; an average of eight points per game.
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