New contract for Coutinho

[hamstrung_pigeon]

http://www.espnfc.com/liverpool/sto...ppe-coutinho-new-contractsays-brendan-rodgers

Countinho on verge of new deal

Liverpool will offer Philippe Coutinho a new contract within weeks, manager Brendan Rodgers says.

Coutinho, 22, has become a key player for the Reds since his eight million pounds move from Inter Milan in January 2013.

The Brazilian playmaker started 28 Premier League matches last season as Liverpool finished runners-up to Manchester City.

And Rodgers is keen to secure Coutinho's long-term future to aid the attacking threat of a side who scored 101 league goals during the 2013/14 campaign.

Liverpool's manager told British newspapers: "A new contract for Philippe is something we will look to do over the summer.

"It's all in hand. He's a valuable player and a great asset to the club. He's come in here and shown his quality, and really developed as a young player.

"Now he's moving into the best years of his life as a footballer. He's 22 and hopefully by the time the next World Cup comes around he will be an important part of the Brazil team, I'm sure his best years will be at Liverpool."

Coutinho was left out of Brazil's squad for the recent World Cup in his homeland, which allowed him a summer off as he avoided the humiliation of their 7-1 semifinal defeat against Germany.

Rodgers said: "He came back to preseason with a great level of fitness -- right on the limit of his weight.

"He's in great condition, clearly worked hard in the off season and since he's come back we've seen in the games how strong and aggressive he is."

Coutinho's contribution to Liverpool's runners-up spot last season was more as a creative player than as a goalscorer.

He scored five times in the league for the Reds during the campaign, but Rodgers believes that goal ratio will get better.

The manager said: "He's a player I don't want to put too much pressure on with goals.

"When you have that quality and technique, you'll hope to score more goals -- and I'm sure that's something he will improve on this season."

 

[gkmacca]

It's quite astonishing someone of his quality hasn't yet improved his shooting technique by putting in the hours on the training pitch. He's shooting more often now but rarely with much conviction. Mind you, Hamman was generally a technically excellent player but he never stopped leaning back and ballooning shots high and wide. I guess some players just have a mental block about such things.

Anyway, great he's going to get a new deal. What the team has missed for years is real wit and he's such an imaginative player.

 

[Mystic]

The manager said: "He's a player I don't want to put too much pressure on with goals.

"When you have that quality and technique, you'll hope to score more goals -- and I'm sure that's something he will improve on this season."

I think this alludes to what you're saying @gkmacca, clearly technique isn't the issue, Coutinho is just pressuring himself a panicking on the pitch when it comes to shooting, so Rodgers is rightfully trying to make it a non issue in an attempt to ease that pressure, Coutinho will eventually get it.

 

[gkmacca]

The thing is, even when defenders back off and he has acres of space, he still drags his shots wide. That's been going on for the best part of two YEARS. I take your point, it does seem to be a mental thing, but at this level you really need to sort such things out fairly quickly, methodically and ruthlessly. He appears a bit weak in that sense (is his English good enough yet for sessions with Steve Peters?). But I'm delighted he's here, he's a gem of a player, that's why it's so frustrating to see one aspect that isn't functioning as well as the other parts of his game. If he was a mediocre player I wouldn't get so wound up about it.

 

[Hansern]

Deserves the new deal. He and Sterling ran the show yesterday.

 

[dmishra]

He could the premier young AM in the world if he wanted to. He has everything, yet he'll continue to be this frustrating player I think.

 

[Judge Jules]

The thing is, even when defenders back off and he has acres of space, he still drags his shots wide. That's been going on for the best part of two YEARS. I take your point, it does seem to be a mental thing, but at this level you really need to sort such things out fairly quickly, methodically and ruthlessly. He appears a bit weak in that sense (is his English good enough yet for sessions with Steve Peters?). But I'm delighted he's here, he's a gem of a player, that's why it's so frustrating to see one aspect that isn't functioning as well as the other parts of his game. If he was a mediocre player I wouldn't get so wound up about it.

My mind goes back to the winner he scored against Citeh at Anfield last season, when he didn't have time to think, only to react. Result: goal. That does make me wonder whether bashing away on this in training is the way to go with him. Suarez, of all people, also missed too many chances when he first arrived and, though I could be wrong of course, I'd hazard a guess that they didn't drill that out of him on the training pitch. I rather suspect they concentrated on creating the circs.in which his general play could flourish fully, in the confident hope that goals would follow. Brendan's words above suggest to me that that's also the approach they envisage with Coutinho, and I reckon he's good enough to benefit in a similar way.

 

[gkmacca]

Hopefully, although Suarez was always excellent at dead ball situations. He'd usually hit the target. I think a player of Coutinho's ability ought to have a superb accuracy ratio with his shots. He thinks and then passes well, so he should do the same when it comes to shooting.

 

[Judge Jules]

Entirely fair point. The mix of coaching approaches will clearly not be absolutely identical to that adopted with Suarez and it may well be that a greater rote element will be included in Coutinho's programme, esp.as he's younger and therefore *perhaps* more amenable to such training. They will need to be careful that they don't coach the magic out of him while they're at it, but Brendan's two decades of coaching experience will help big-time there.

 

[Best Believe It]

I've not seen any of the pre-season games, so can someone tell me whereabouts Coutinho is playing when we play three in the midfield? Furthest forward, or the sort of position Joe Allen/Modric position?

 

[hamstrung_pigeon]

I've not seen any of the pre-season games, so can someone tell me whereabouts Coutinho is playing when we play three in the midfield? Furthest forward, or the sort of position Joe Allen/Modric position?

If I recall correctly - furthest foward on the one occasion we used the diamond, usually beside a CM (e.g. Henderson) in a 4-3-3, wide left on an occasion or two in the 4-3-3, or for today, centre forward flanked by Sterling and Ibe after Lambert went off.

 

[Best Believe It]

If I recall correctly - furthest foward on the one occasion we used the diamond, usually beside a CM (e.g. Henderson) in a 4-3-3, wide left on an occasion or two in the 4-3-3, or for today, centre forward flanked by Sterling and Ibe after Lambert went off.

Cheers. I did think BR would establish Coutinho's position as being the central midfielder in the 4-3-3 (with Gerrard deepest and Henderson furthest forward) but maybe I am wrong. Apparently it's happened before.

 

[hamstrung_pigeon]

Cheers. I did think BR would establish Coutinho's position as being the central midfielder in the 4-3-3 (with Gerrard deepest and Henderson furthest forward) but maybe I am wrong. Apparently it's happened before.

Could well be, but with the way our guys move in midfield, it's really hard to pin down and say player X is furthest forward or player Y is. So I tend to regard the two centre mids in the 4-3-3 as on an even line. Rodgers did talk about pushing Henderson further up (in the game he got the goal), but I'm not sure if that's the general idea in more games, or just something that happens as the opportunities avail themselves (for example, how the opponents set up, who we're facing, etc.).

 

[RedStar]

Fair play he deserves a new contract but this is a big season for him, hes got to be one of the players who steps up (along with Sterling) and fills the void left by Suarez in the Goals For column. His target should be 12 goals this season. He will be under a lot more pressure for his place this year with Markovic and Lallana being signed for big money and Suso back in the squad. For me he has one of the best footballing brains around, he just sees things in a split second that other players dont, but its time for him to add some composure to his game and mature a bit. I know hes still young but he has competition for places now and if he wants to remain in the first team hes got to be more consistent.

 

[Silver Sean]

The thing is, even when defenders back off and he has acres of space, he still drags his shots wide. That's been going on for the best part of two YEARS. I take your point, it does seem to be a mental thing, but at this level you really need to sort such things out fairly quickly, methodically and ruthlessly. He appears a bit weak in that sense (is his English good enough yet for sessions with Steve Peters?). But I'm delighted he's here, he's a gem of a player, that's why it's so frustrating to see one aspect that isn't functioning as well as the other parts of his game. If he was a mediocre player I wouldn't get so wound up about it.

When he doesn't have time to think about it (Citeh at home) he can ping them. Good player, could get better. Only 22. Imagine how good he'll be at 27. Probably good enough to move to Spain...