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Brendan: Coutinho is this team's brain

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Glen C

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Brendan: Coutinho is this team's brain

24th Jul 2014 - Latest News
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Brendan Rodgers described Philippe Coutinho as 'the brain' of his Liverpool team after the Brazilian turned in another stellar performance as the Reds were overturned 1-0 by AS Roma.

The No.10 displayed much of his unique repertoire of passing, close control and trickery during the clash at Fenway Park in Boston, the first of the club's pre-season tour of America.
A late goal by the Italians was the decider at the conclusion of a hard-fought match at the iconic baseball venue, which was regularly lit up by the technique of Coutinho.
"Coutinho is the brain in our team, the continuity player," said the boss later. "He might not score many goals, but he's a wonderful reference for the team.
"He is the one that gets the team ticking, gets the movement in front of the ball. He goes and gets on the ball. He's a fantastic talent for such a young player and he's still gaining his fitness.
"He makes the crowd get off their seat. For someone so small, he's very tough and robust. He's a wonderful technician that has a great idea, tactically, of the game."
On the encounter itself, the Northern Irishman continued: "These are two Champions League teams, two teams that are at a good level of pre-season and two sets of committed players that are very competitive.
"Pre-season friendly or not, both teams wanted to play well and work well. I thought it was a perfect game at this stage of our preparation phase.
"This is one of a number of good games that we've got coming up that are going to really sharpen us up for the beginning of the season."
The Reds have now won one and lost two of their first three preparation fixtures for the new campaign, with four further matches on the schedule before the opener.
Next up is a trip to Chicago for Olympiacos before taking on Manchester City and AC Milan in the States and returning to Anfield to host German contenders Borussia Dortmund.
"It's not about results at this stage," Rodgers explained to reporters gathered inside Fenway. "The most important result for me is the first game of the season.
"You have a choice - you can play friendlies that probably make you win every game and you might not find anything out. We've got a really tough set of fixtures over the course of the pre-season.
"We've got a great tour out here and then we go back and within a few days we'll play Borussia Dortmund. We're really pitching ourselves in at a good level to get a good gauge.
"The most important objective is that we're in a really good physical condition for our first game of the season, against Southampton.
"And that technically and tactically, we'll have honed up all of the principles and ideas that have made us so successful in the last couple of years. That will be the most important result for us."
The manager also revealed that the likes of Adam Lallana and Lazar Markovic, summer recruits, plus the returning England contingent are in line to feature from Chicago onwards.
He added: "They only really began training on Monday. I put Jordan Henderson in because of his level of fitness. Jordan could play 10 games on the spin because he's so fit and strong.
"It was nice to give him a 15-minute period at the end. But those players, like young Markovic, who is an exceptional talent, will be involved when we arrive in Chicago."
 
First 6months he was fucking excellent, but last season, very much hit and miss. Hope he goes back to his old form.
 

I put Jordan Henderson in because of his level of fitness. Jordan could play 10 games on the spin because he's so fit and strong.

But but but he runs all wrong, and we need 8 players to challenge for the title?!?! :eek:
 
He's looked a cut above the rest in pre-season so far.

On another note, isn't the 'continuity player' what Rodgers bought Allen for?
 
He's looked a cut above the rest in pre-season so far.

On another note, isn't the 'continuity player' what Rodgers bought Allen for?

Rodgers likes to have a couple of them in the team, so that you can't mark one out of the game, I'm sure I heard from talking about it on talksport or something like that before.
 
Rodgers likes to have a couple of them in the team, so that you can't mark one out of the game, I'm sure I heard from talking about it on talksport or something like that before.

I'd include Sterling, Lallana and possibly Lazar in that group too.
 
obviously when you try the hard stuff like coutinho does you will lose possession , over hit the odd pass etc etc but sometimes he does frustrate the fuck . I still think there is room for improvement with decision making and maybe hitting the target a bit more , then he could be real class .
 
I still think there is room for improvement with decision making and maybe hitting the target a bit more , then he could be real class .

Pretty much this, hes got bags of talent but can drift through games making a series of bad decisions. I like that hes prepared to take a risk and try something unusual but he has to learn to read games and know when the time is right. A poster earlier in the thread compared him to Garcia and that was Garcias biggest problem he just wouldnt stop trying daft stuff even when it wasnt on, he never learned when to keep it simple. I hope Coutinho doesn't go down that road because he has everything in his game to play at the highest levels. I had hoped the omission from the Brazil team would give him a kick up the hole and focus him after a mixed second half to the season last year, lets hope so. He should at least be working the keeper a lot more from some of the chances he gets
 
yeah i am not too comfortable with the garcia comparisons either . Mainly because as much as we love him and he's a proper good red , ultimately when you weighed up the pros and cons garcia wasn't a top , top player . I know he had bad injuries which lead to a loss of form but there is a reason he only stayed 3 seasons with us and nobody was too devastated when he left . I hope for more from coutinho .
 
I don't understand the flack people are giving him. It's pre season, he's at least trying. He's getting the ball forward. He's dictating our offence. Also, he played with Ibe, Borini, Can, Lambert and Suso yesterday. Get him on the pitch with Sterling, Sturridge and Lallana and I bet we'll see better end product from him.
 
i don't think anyone is really assessing him on pre-season , i certainly am not . We're just discussing him in general . So get back in your box !
 
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He needs to be more patient. He keeps trying to play a through ball into the area when there's a line of defenders blocking it, and 9 times out of 10 it just bounces off their legs. But he's still very young and he's a hell of a talent who'll actually get better.
 
yeah i am not too comfortable with the garcia comparisons either . Mainly because as much as we love him and he's a proper good red , ultimately when you weighed up the pros and cons garcia wasn't a top , top player . I know he had bad injuries which lead to a loss of form but there is a reason he only stayed 3 seasons with us and nobody was too devastated when he left . I hope for more from coutinho .

Ahem.
 
It reeks of desperation by Rodgers. Someone ought to remind him that it's his job to be the team's brain. Perhaps he's lost the plot without Suarez and is latching onto Coutinho for comfort.
 
He needs to be more patient. He keeps trying to play a through ball into the area when there's a line of defenders blocking it, and 9 times out of 10 it just bounces off their legs. But he's still very young and he's a hell of a talent who'll actually get better.

I think its clear at this stage hes a talent but within reason hes gone as far as hes going to get with the approach hes got so far, whether or not he does get better will largely depend on if he starts being more pragmatic, or he could, like Garcia, continue playing the way he is now and never get any better. If he lifts his head up and starts reading the game better instead of always looking for the killer pass straight away he will become twice the player he is now. With Lallana and Markovic in the squad he will face much stiffer competition this year, so hopefully that pushes him to improve
 
It reeks of desperation by Rodgers. Someone ought to remind him that it's his job to be the team's brain. Perhaps he's lost the plot without Suarez and is latching onto Coutinho for comfort.

In fairness he usually says 2 things stupider than this a week, we are just not used to it after the summer off
 
I think its clear at this stage hes a talent but within reason hes gone as far as hes going to get with the approach hes got so far, whether or not he does get better will largely depend on if he starts being more pragmatic, or he could, like Garcia, continue playing the way he is now and never get any better. If he lifts his head up and starts reading the game better instead of always looking for the killer pass straight away he will become twice the player he is now. With Lallana and Markovic in the squad he will face much stiffer competition this year, so hopefully that pushes him to improve


It's also up to the team as a whole to learn to read the game better, so when Coutinho does get the ball the runs have already been made and spaces have opened up for him to do his thing.
 
That's true quite a lot of the time, but it didn't seem to be a problem at Swansea, so I'd be hopeful we can resolve it if the rest of the side make the runs and open up the spaces Dantes describes, and if we play at the kind of tempo Brendan demands.
 
Coutinho - brains
Gerrard - heart
Kolo - Tummy


Reina - Appendix
Mignolet - Tricep
Allen - Esophagus
Hendo - Lungs
Sturridge - Eye
Lambert - Other Eye
Markovic - Clavicle
Sterling - Tongue
Skrtel - Nostril
Agger - Liver
Sakho - Scrotum
Johnson - Kidney
Flanagan - Facial Hair
Enrique - Ear Lobe
Assaidi - Rectum
Coates - Vertebrae
Lallana - Femur
Ilori - Left Testicle
Suso - Body Hair
Kelly - Right Testicle
Ibe - Ankle
Jones - Knuckle
Teixeira - Hair Folicle
 
BR the cartilage and joints. The marrow in the bones? If he fails all fail.
 
Reina - Appendix
Mignolet - Tricep
Allen - Esophagus
Hendo - Lungs
Sturridge - Eye
Lambert - Other Eye
Markovic - Clavicle
Sterling - Tongue
Skrtel - Nostril
Agger - Liver
Sakho - Scrotum
Johnson - Kidney
Flanagan - Facial Hair
Enrique - Ear Lobe
Assaidi - Rectum
Coates - Vertebrae
Lallana - Femur
Ilori - Left Testicle
Suso - Body Hair
Kelly - Right Testicle
Ibe - Ankle
Jones - Knuckle
Teixeira - Hair Folicle
We all know what Flanagan is and it's not Facial Hair
 
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