Little Magician
There is something about Brazilian players that just makes them a pleasure to watch. They have flair, arrogance, creativity. From the legends such as Pele, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Zico and Cafu to the current crop including Neymar, Kaka, Oscar, Ramires, Bernard – the list goes on.
Despite their devastating performance against Germany in the 2014 World Cup, the calibre of players within the team is impressive. One Brazilian that didn’t make the cut for Scolari’s 2014 World Cup squad is Philippe Coutinho, The Little Magician.
Liverpool acquired the young talent in 2013 from Inter Milan for £8.5mill – a fee which is looking like an absolute bargain. Instantly his ability was there for all to see, his link up play with Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge was natural. His knack of providing that decisive through ball was telling in the 2013/14 campaign where he came third in Liverpool’s assist table behind only Suarez and Gerrard. His signature drop of the shoulder in the middle of the park and close ball control have repeatedly left opponents on the floor scratching their heads.
Coutinho’s recent form has fans on the edge of their seat week-in week-out, and not just Liverpool fans. He rightly gains plaudits from general football community. Following news of him signing a new long-term contract, which ties him to the club until 2020, Brendan Rodgers likened him to Luka Modric and Tony Kroos and his team-mate Adam Lallana hailed his talent “frightening”.
If the Brazilian continues progressing under Brendan Rodgers in his current vein and chipping in with more goals, he will certainly be on his way to establishing himself as one of the Premier Leagues top talents. And that’s no illusion.
allsportblogger 