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Rodgers - ''Coutinho Can Be Our Kroos/Modric''


Mame Biram Diouf

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Brendan Rodgers has set the benchmark high. Having just seen Philippe Coutinho commit to a new long-term contract at Liverpool, Rodgers has issued a thinly-veiled challenge to the Brazilian to match the efforts of those in the engine room at Real Madrid.
 
Rodgers is making the most of what he has, while of course seeing the potential in his resources to match those from bigger and wealthier names on the continent.
 
Toni Kroos and Luka Modric have shown their immense value to Real Madrid in the recent past. The former was acquired from Bayern Munich last summer, more or less featuring in a swap that saw Xabi Alonso go the other way. Alonso was at first considered to be a major loss, not only because of his status at the Bernabeu, but emphasised by his performances for Pep Guardiola’s team immediately after arriving in Germany.
 
Kroos, however, after an initial tricky start, presented that idea that the European champions had completed a very smart piece of business. Take away the ludicrously low fee for a player of Kroos’ quality – the transfer amounted to just €25 million – the club had replaced a 32-year-old with a hungry and determined then 24-year-old, fresh from winning the World Cup with Germany. Make no mistake, Real Madrid aren’t lamenting the sale of Alonso.
 
Meanwhile, Modric had a major turnaround following his early form and tag as La Liga’s worst buy following his move from Tottenham in 2012. The Croatian can be thought of as hugely underrated due to the exploits of his teammates. His excellence in attack landed him his move to the Bernabeu, with Spurs also held in a stand-off with Chelsea that summer, according to the Mirror. But his defensive work can’t be underestimated. Combined this season, Kroos and Modric have made 28 interceptions, 48 successful tackles, and zero defensive errors.
 
Real Madrid are upholding the idea that the centre of midfield doesn’t have to be manned by all-action goliaths; success can be built upon those whose intelligence and defensive positioning outweighs the need to muscle opponents off the ball.
 
Of course, Coutinho shares few similarities with the two Real Madrid midfielders. The Brazilian doesn’t sit, especially as deep as Kroos and Modric are known to. If there is a more accurate comparison, it would be to Real Madrid’s Isco, yet the Spaniard is also much better at working the defensive side of the game than the Liverpool midfielder.
 
But Rodgers’ point wasn’t necessarily to link the styles of his player to those based in Spain. The importance, rather, was to see Coutinho gain a stronger influence on games, encouraging the player, and onlookers, to ignore the numbers in the goals column and focus on what can be done for the good of the team.
 
It fits in nicely with the Liverpool manager’s comments that the team’s best football of this season is still to come. He would have been hugely encouraged by what he saw against Chelsea in the League Cup semi-final. Even though they lost over two legs, it was still a sizeable improvement on performances from the first half of the season.
 
Via ESPN, Rodgers said: “After the Chelsea game there was a feeling ‘would it disrupt or provoke a negative reaction to our season?’ if anything it’s only promoted the development and momentum that we have.
 
“Of course we wanted to get to the final but the performance level from the two games and leading into those games has given us great encouragement. Our best football is yet to come.”
 
With Steven Gerrard’s impending departure, the manager will be looking for someone, specifically Coutinho, to step up to the task of influencing games in a similar to that of the current club captain.

 

 
 

How good a player do you think he can develop into? and do you feel he has the potential to end up playing regularly for one of Europes biggest clubs?

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Tekked out

 

If he ups the work rate + is consistant and he's a world beater

 

Not sure that will happen at Liverpool though

 

And I feel he has the tendancy to hide in bigger teams

 

 

Last point is certainly not true.

 

In fact any Liverpool fan would tell you, his best performances have come against the big teams.

 

Chelsea home and away this season, Arsenal at home this season, Arsenal at home last season, City at home last season, at home to Spurs, these have been some of his best games at the club.

 

His workrate is excellent as well, for example against Arsenal this season he had like 9 tackles, the most on the pitch.

 

He's workrate has been good since last season, when Rodgers moved him to the lcm of the diamond, or the lcm of the 3.

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I've been banging his drum for a while and some of you were painting me as delusional, when the truth was if you couldn't see the talent Coutinho had from when he was at Inter, then you shouldn't be watching football.

On the behalf on the forum I want to thank you for bringing Coutinho to our attention on 27.08.10

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Philippe Coutinho has been tipped to become the Premier League’s best player by fellow Brazilian ace Neymar.

The World Cup superstar believes the Liverpool playmaker – who celebrated his new five-year contract at Anfield this week by netting a late winner at Bolton Wanderers in the Reds FA Cup fourth round replay – can develop into English football’s brightest star.

Barcelona favourite Neymar, who has known Coutinho since they played in Brazil’s Under-17s national side together, said: “He can be the star player in England. This season I think everybody in England is seeing how talented he is – and I know he has a lot more to show.

“We have been good friends since we were 16. Not only is he a fantastic player, he is a good guy to have in the dressing room, always positive and making jokes.”

Neymar reckons that Coutinho has the potential to fill the creative void in Brendan Rodgers’ side since Luis Suarez departed Anfield to join him at the Camp Nou last summer.

He said: “I think since Luis joined us at Barcelona, Liverpool have not had that one player they can look to for that special moment.

“Couto can be that player for them I’m sure. When he has the ball at his feet, he can make things happen for himself and he can make things happen for other players. He is a very special player.”

Coutinho has five caps for Brazil and was recalled to the national team by returning coach Dunga at the start of the season after the 2014 World Cup hosts meltdown without him at last summer’s finals and Neymar reckons the 22-year-old also has plenty to offer his country.

He added: “He will play a big part in the future of the national team.

“The national steam is very strong, but the way he is playing for Liverpool, I’m sure he will be a big part of Brazil going forward.”

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Said he was ready for the last world cup. Would have given them a spark

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This ini been missing is a myth

Turns up when he plays been inj a lot tho

Not sure some of you actually watch ball with these outlandish statements

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