What happened to Philippe Coutinho?

[@benjaminv6039]

At the time the move from Liverpool devastated me, but in retrospect, his move paved the way for the modern Liverpool. The 120M enabled Liverpool to fix their defensive frailties and enabled our fallbacks and attacking players to have more freedom up front with less reliance on a central play maker. Arguably best move for Liverpool in the last decade.

[@bratwurstred]

I’m with you there. Watching the whole saga go down, starting around August of 2017 really hurt-the rumored fee, the “great sadness”, the “back injury” saga-it was all wild. I don’t think anyone could’ve imagined how well Liverpool ended up dealing with the situation.

[@hugoumero9723]

Maybe instead Of winter Maybe Liverpool should have sell Him In summer

[@holmbjerg]

@@hugoumero9723 No, the bid came in too late in the 2017 summer transfer window. And as I recall the amount offered was lower than it ended up being in the winter.

[@wolfwinddh]

Spot on man

[@AManCalledDutch]

You mustn't have really watched the games if you missed him that much. He'd have 3-4 bad games and change opinion by having a good 15 minutes in the following game. A passenger for 90% of matches.

[@monolog4527]

At this point i really believe that Tifo has a lifetime duration contract with Athletic and 2 Quadrillion release clause

[@FunzGaming]

Tifo is Owned by Athletic 😁

[@DutchTDK]

After the sponsorship contract ended, the athletic signed tifo on a free transfer

[@sirsurnamethefirstofhisnam7986]

They had a loan with the option to buy and they triggered the transfer fee

[@pranavkandpal9217]

Morbillion

[@jaredlive73]

“Stay here, and they will build a statue in your honour. Go somewhere else, to Barcelona, to Bayern Munich, to Real Madrid, and you will be just another player. Here you can be something more." - Jürgen Klopp

[@silvesta5027]

The unfortunate part is that Liverpool became a better side without him. That £120 million really levelled up the side 😔

[@el-youtub3r402]

They can still build him a statue He contributed to Liverpool first title in 30 years. How? By leaving for that sum and making it easier for them to buy the likes of Van Djik and Alisson

[@Abood99222]

I remember this from a few years ago and I was so mad he left Liverpool. You never know how things will turn out

[@sonofapollo6814]

Everytime I hear the kopp scream "Salah" I can't help thinking...that could have been Coutinho.!. Let's be fair his right leg was every bit as dangerous as Salah's left has become.☹

[@JA-Q28]

He ended up winning the Champions League season after Liverpool. No one could tell if he would’ve won the CL with Liverpool mind you. A huge wage load to be honest.

[@Chris24_]

It was actually Ernesto Valverde who managed Barcelona when they lost 4-0 to Liverpool and Coutinho was a part of that team that lost as well.

[@WOOOPdoctorFROGhere]

Not the best journalism that they got this wrong. Even if they couldn't be bothered to Google it, surely it must have been obvious that coutinho was at barca for the defeat to Liverpool, as the video even says he was at bayern the season after. So unless they think coutinho was on a two year loan at bayern, then they ought to have realised that he could only have been at Barcelona for the season in which they lost to Liverpool. Maybe they're confusing him with when James Rodriguez went on a two year loan. He's Madrid's big money failure equivalent to coutinho.

[@francisf9672]

I was thinking the same thing when watching the video

[@CurtisPEERS]

Yep you're right. Valverde wasn't sacked until Barca lost the copa del rey final some months later.

[@Chris24_]

@@CurtisPEERS it was actually AFTER that too if you could believe it, it was after the Spanish Super Cup loss to Atletico in December of 2019.

[@alialwahaibi1234]

Coutinho shouldn’t have started that game, specially after the chance he missed. Barca were basically playing with 10 players and Valverde was lucky in the first match Liverpool couldn’t convert their chances

[@hrishikeshsrimannarayan9163]

Slight error cause valverde was the one who was manager during the liverpool loss

[@bri1085]

Knew something was off when he said that, can remember everyone calling for Valverde's head even more after the game

[@Iron-Bridge]

Good catch.

[@sadsixersfan.]

Yeah I was confused by that.

[@wadudali3017]

I thought that too, tifo, arrogant and stupid.

[@romanrecto]

Yeah, timeline is off. Valverde finished the season of the remontada at Anfield in the semi final where coutinho played. He was replaced halfway through the next one, with coutinho on loan to Bayern where he scored in the disastrous 8-2 exit to Bayern in the quarters. Love tifo but they really dropped the ball here and it’s not like either of the players or clubs involved are small. Sloppy work

[@shomgerry]

Coutinho and Hazard going to Spain dovetailed their careers massively, at a time when both clubs were on the decline in Europe

[@gentleken7864]

Agree about those two. Coutinho and Hazard have not completed 90 minutes this season from a combined total of 27 games. Given that someone like Bale is getting almost 700 000 euros a week for doing nothing, and adding in Coutinho and Hazard, you get the feeling that La Liga has gone wrong with luring the 'best players' and paying them huge amount of money. That's usually Arsenal's job....but not the best players....

[@IAmTetsuo1]

Real madrid was never in decline btw.

[@kevinhanandi]

Madrid just have a slump in 2020 with a lot of injuries not really a decline

[@mmw4990]

That's not what dovetailed means

[@danishih]

@@mmw4990 curtailed maybe?

[@thisIsFunnyLolz]

Idk if this is true so don't get all up in arms but I remember seeing something about Klopp's final attempt to keep Countinho and he told him that if he stayed they'd probably build statues of him some day but if he went to Barca he would just be another face in the crowd. Klopp was right and then some with his career falling off a cliff sadly which sucks considering how great he was at the pool

[@neeznh4571]

Klopp put even more pressure on him when he said that

[@bri1085]

Think that's a quote that's been misattributed to Klopp

[@bri1085]

Just looked out up, and Coutinho said that after signing a new contract that summer

[@BiggieTrismegistus]

@@bri1085 The quote his not been misattributed to Klopp, but the timing is off. Klopp said that but is when discussions were going on about Coutinho signing a new contract at Liverpool in 2017 not when he was thinking about moving to Barca.

[@BigPurp9]

Tbh that doesn’t mean much, every elite footballer backs them self to succeed anywhere. Imagine Fergie telling Ronaldo something like that in 09 before he went on to be Madrids all time top scorer and one of their greatest ever

[@shubhdugar4057]

Setien didn't oversee Liverpool defeat, Valverde was still in the job in that defeat

[@shardulnikam9322]

Man I loved Coutinho. His signature move of shot outside the box still reminds me of great memories. How quickly a career changes. Well, he did win the UCL, Bundesliga and La Liga but no contribution whatsoever 😢😢

[@sumomaster9144]

He's still filthy rich, no need to feel sorry for him. I would love to do nothing and earn all that $$

[@russellward4624]

He had as much impact on those trophies as you and I did.

[@HonestFarmerLigue1Fan]

@@sumomaster9144 No offense to the dead, but if wealth guarantee happiness, Chris Cornell would've been still with us.

[@sbakernyc5761]

No contribution whatsoever? That's a bit harsh... his first half season at Barca he was very good

[@anotherbigfootwithinternet2147]

@@HonestFarmerLigue1Fan damn Chris Cornell is a legendary singer miss him and Layne Staley.

[@knkyeung7812]

I would really want TIFO to look at his data during his Liverpool time and Braca time. He is never a pressing player but he is able to shine under Klopp....just wants to know why.

[@Wreckedandruinedand]

Probably because some smart off-the-ball moves. Pressing is not enough with just running and running and running, you've got to know what purpose each of your runs serves. Thats what you can achieve when you play under a proper tactical manager; everyone gets to play to their full potential within the gameplan. Even the likes of Salah who flew under the radar of the big clubs for years since his departure from Chelsea, now is in his peak of his game.

[@grantreill1966]

Jadon Sancho's success at Dortmund could be for similar reasons, even though of course Sancho was a post-Klopp addition, just to give you a comp you may be familiar with. In Philippe's case, having a playmaker up top that the game can flow through can be good as an outlet or pressure release valve. Whenever Coutinho got on the ball, he could carry it or pick out a game-switching pass, so he was integral to the transition from defensive pressure into swift attack. His job as initial facilitator also let itself well to the finishing of moves, whether with a long strike of the ball or a secondary run off the shoulder of the other forwards.

[@rmanS2C]

Yep. This video is inaccurate. Coutinho was LFC’s best player in a side that pressed most aggressively from 2015-17 before VAR made it possible for them to play the high defensive line meaning they pressed less but in a smaller distance. So he should have fit into thr bayern system really well. He also played his best football at lfc as a number 8 until January 2018 when he left as mane played on the left and firmino played down the middle and salah on the right. I vividly remember klopp calling him “an 8 and a 10” in a press conference. Yes he did play on left for a season before salah came when mane used to play on the right but coutinho is player who thrived in pressing teams such as Rodgers lfc that nearly won the title. He’s just lost confidence in my opinion

[@happyface96]

The top trio of Salah Mane and Firmino as well as Gini/Hendo work hard to counterpress and make the opponent lose the ball, Coutinho was always the first to recover the loose ball bc of his smart positioning and his free roaming role. If not, his teammates always makes it their first choice to pass a loose ball to him to make the killer pass. He was never an all out winger under Klopp.

[@royvandermarel3953]

@@happyface96 This. He was never on the front foot when it came to pressing. Yet, the pressing of that LFC side was so high, he would pick up balls in the opp half most of the times. Barca and Bayern often play high as well, but less relentless. So if Coutinho had to pick up scraps, he'd do so in less dangerous positions. Next to that, the transitions at LFC are way more direct than the ball-posession based attacks at Barca and even at Bayern.

[@dapurofficer7934]

His goal move to Barcelona was to win Champions League. that the word I remembered a lot after Coutinho become Barcelona player. Consequently the transfer budget from Coutinho really move Liverpool as an UCL and PL Champions... Benefit and Profit from Coutinho transfer for Liverpool are: Virgil Van Dijk, Allison, New Training Ground Complex, UCL Champions and Premiere League Champions.

[@fngmember7222]

And funny that nowadays Barca are in the Europa League instead of the UCL lmao

[@doko980629]

@@fngmember7222 And Bayern Munich gave the start for this turmoil with Coutinho played for them in the shocking 8-2 winning. It is just like everything against Coutinho wishes.

[@nightprowler6336]

@@doko980629 and Coutinho won UCL with Bayern lol

[@DaroriDerEinzige]

Well afterall, he won the UCL with the FCB - The FC Bayern Munich :)

[@containedhurricane]

Klopp said no playmaker, creative midfielder or no 10 player in the world is as effective as a good counter-pressing. Klopp has proven his statement, because Liverpool became better after Coutinho left

[@Izalith1798]

What do you think about De Bruyne then? Imo, even Liverpool itself transform that role into Virgil, Thiago, and Jota/Firmino. Playmaker still needed, especially when you going against deep defense line or agaist the team that used to play under pressure like West Ham or Aston Villa, which make your team keep the ball for long time. The role still there but transforming into different form.

[@containedhurricane]

@@Izalith1798 Kevin de Bruyne, David Silva and Bernardo Silva are half-wingers or mezzalas who attack the half-spaces. Most European serial-winning teams play without a central attacking midfielder

[@VoltronKnight]

@@Izalith1798 De Bruyne is any counter pressing manager’s dream player. He’s a playmaker AND works really hard to close down and wins back the ball.

[@benhogan6732]

I can't sit here and say I wish he'd stayed. Not because I didn't love him as a Liverpool player, not because I don't appreciate what he did in his time there, but because of what the transfer fee allowed Liverpool to become, and while it was a move which he desperately wanted I can't help but feel sorry for how it's turned out for him. There were so many big moments for Liverpool that he provided, so much joy I experienced watching him play, I feel great sympathy for a supremely talented player now languishing on the fringes.

[@AlexZouhehe]

Same. I honestly feel like we never really replaced him either, although we never needed to. But with all the draws and losses we've had this season..i can't help but think "what if we had Coutinho..". We never had those magical moments when we needed them. When Salah didn't perform, we were basically out of the game. I still think we could sign him back and get back his form while we're still able to..but i don't see that happening anytime soon.

[@el-youtub3r402]

@K F Because that transfer gave you lot more than 1 billion in revenue

[@fredericcjm7]

@@AlexZouhehe everytime we get a free kick I think of the lad,not saying that trent is not good at free kicks,but coutinho was just...special

[@sambridhathapa4313]

I'm a United fan but still stories like this do make me feel pity. I loved his dribbling and ability to make something happen from very tight spaces. 😔

[@mlenzi5476]

I adored the kid

[@vecterpls]

I remember he scored 4 goals against Levante in a 5-4 loss in his first few months, a shame it didn't work out.

[@ishaandw]

It was only a hattrick. But it was the 37th game of the season after what was 36 unbeaten games.

[@alialwahaibi1234]

@@ishaandw Valverde benched the man who carried him and saved him each time the team was down. If Messi played that game would’ve ended differently and Barca would’ve won the league unbeaten, against the three times back to back ucl winners easily

[@OwnnOfficial]

5:07 that is incorrect Valverde is the one who lost to Liverpool!! And left the next season Stein lost to Bayern Munich!

[@noob_watcher]

Haha. Yes. They don't do research properly no more. He even said that dembele came after coutinho. But it was the reverse.

[@bri1085]

@@noob_watcher they didn't say Dembele came after Coutinho rather that he was one of the players Barcelona had to pay over the odds for because of the Neymar transfer

[@alexmoule3865]

Who’s here now after here just had a great debut for Aston Villa?

[@cadian122]

Of all the things that have happened in soccer over the last 15 years, the Situation with Coutinho is inexplicable for me.. The guy was a super star on Liverpool and for Brazil (Remember Neymar was hurt when they won Copa America and Coutinho was a driving force of that team) I have also seen him have really good starts for Barca and Especially for Bayern... Hes a guy that I would not give up on...

[@squodge]

When there are no other stars around, Coutinho can shine. That's why he did well at Liverpool - Suarez was a brilliant player, but he had a PR problem; and Gerrard was at the twilight stage of his career. For him to move to Barcelona, there is no way he was going to be the focal point of that team unless Messi wasn't playing. At least now Coutinho's at Villa, they can build the team around him - he could help take Villa to Europa League position.

[@kix_501st]

@@squodgeyup. he’s one of the “main man” kind of players that can attack and create if you just give them the ball. that was never gonna happen with messi at barca. same thing with griezmann

[@mikaelespath7624]

I loved Coutinho when he was with us. Yes, he was inconsistent and didn't always deliver in the big games, but he was still very good and has some of the best technique I have ever seen! However, its quite simple why he failed at Barca. Coutinho needs to be central and basically have a free role to be at his best. He needs to be able to move around freely and be the main man in offence. That was never going to happen at Barca with Messi there, and its the same reason Griezmann failed at Barca as well. Since then injuries and a lack of form have hurt his confidence, and he just isn't the same player anymore.

[@kix_501st]

agreed. griezmann and coutinho were nothing short of brilliant but the expectations set on them was why people believe they flopped. they could’ve been so much more had they been given a free role. that was never going to happen with messi at barca. griezmann was (or is) the main creator at atleti and coutinho was the main creator at liverpool. but messi was barca’s and they were obviously not gonna sacrifice that. but they did well for the limited roles they needed to take up.

[@WildwoodClaire1]

Coutinho's offensive contributions at Bayern were like tiny, lonely oases lost among the mountainous sand dunes of a vast desert of futility and he was invariably a defensive liability.

[@WOOOPdoctorFROGhere]

Looking at his contributions they were small and humble, So you don't confuse them, With mountains.

[@WildwoodClaire1]

@@WOOOPdoctorFROGhere I didn't, I called them tiny, beautiful oases. Perhaps English is not your first language.

[@alfielee2989]

Tbf when you speak like a poet in a KZbin comment section some people are always gonna get confused 😂

[@WildwoodClaire1]

@@alfielee2989 Yes, YT has long been rife with cognitively impaired blowhards.

[@Halomedia_Ng]

@@alfielee2989 😂😂

[@FunzGaming]

He should have not left Liverpool. His move to Bayern was profitable for both parties but Barca is just destroying him now

[@m.aununu.musaffa7466]

No... his move to bayern weight bayern... He didnt play good except vs bremen and barca

[@FunzGaming]

@@m.aununu.musaffa7466 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣 okay 😂

[@abhishekyadav-hy3gq]

More like he destroyed barca , worst signing ever , he can't do anything it was kloop's brilliance which brought best out of him in that system

[@bri1085]

@@m.aununu.musaffa7466 he's inconsistency showed at bayern, he was like that at Liverpool, but could get away with it because Liverpool weren't at the very pinnacle of football

[@DukiTovke]

@@abhishekyadav-hy3gq I'm a Liverpool fan and so i LOVE Klopp but Coutinho was our best player even before Klopp came

[@kimsharkie8952]

Coutinho somehow took Liverpool's curse to Barca.. Liverpool fans should thank him not loathe him

[@melodica5407]

Barca fan here. It's like he took the curse here and amplifies it 😅

[@IIAshyII255]

Liverpool fans dont loathe him lol

[@BiggieTrismegistus]

I wasn't thrilled that he left but I can't begrudge a guy for pursuing his dream job. I certainly don't loathe him for that.

[@kimsharkie8952]

@@melodica5407 lol 😂😂😂am sorry though

[@kimsharkie8952]

@@IIAshyII255 Tbf some do

[@EMETRL]

Perhaps the most ironic part of neymar leaving barcelona for PSG to exit messi's shadow is that it led to a series of financial decisions and sporting failures at barcelona that led to messi also leaving barcelona for PSG. Funny how fate works.

[@RandalfElVikingo]

Not fate, but how oil money can alter the whole market.

[@fredericcjm7]

Butterfly effect

[@sonofapollo6814]

Neymar really single handedly destroyed the international football business 🐒

[@darganx]

Like the doodoo following you around the swimming pool.. you create a vacuum and these crazy things happen.

[@satyamsangal6659]

Stupid board. First they don't get players for 4-4-2 system . Then they change coach and go to 4-3-3 system and overpay for same 4-4-2 system players 😂

[@robintaberner]

I remember when Coutinho left Liverpool, one pundit suggested that Liverpool would be better without Coutinho, guess he was right.

[@youman5079]

Yup

[@sonnQ]

Because he wouldn't adapt his game and that has been the story of his career so far. He has no one to blame but himself.

[@satyamsangal6659]

Same pundit said same for Barcelona without Suarez , then Messi 😂

[@Yokah]

They became better because they finally had a defense with Van Dijk, then Alisson

[@larryachiya2475]

I remember going to Coutinho's Instagram DM and begging him not to leave Liverpool. Well...look at how it ended up

[@IIAshyII255]

Scored some screamers loved watching him play amazed me that he didnt fit right in with barce

[@rohannalawade3227]

Barca didn't fit with barca for a while.

[@ronanfitzpatrick1261]

He did score some peaches alright, but always felt he was more a Highlight Reel player; was surprised Barca went for him over Eriksen at the time.

[@rohannalawade3227]

@@ronanfitzpatrick1261 Lord Barto needed a win in transfer market. The club was run like a scam ffs

[@ronanfitzpatrick1261]

@@rohannalawade3227 I thought the negativity was being overstated at the time, but clearly not it turns out. I'm actually shocked that Real Madrid seemed to have managed their finances better (since La Liga changed their criteria) which is damning in itself tbh

[@rohannalawade3227]

@@ronanfitzpatrick1261 say what you will perez is ruthless and runs Real like a company to some extent. This has allowed them to operate well. And they have recruited well too.

[@khoado421]

5:05 Valverde was still in charge when Barca lost to Liverpool. Setien didn't come in until middle of the following season. He oversaw the lost to Bayern.

[@coolcumber7]

"Stay here, and they will build a statue in your honour. Go somewhere else, to Barcelona, to Bayern Munich, to Real Madrid, and you will be just another player. Here you can be something more." Klopp told him. He warned him. but Phillipe made his bed, & now he must sleep on it.

[@warpten121]

To Klopp's credit, his re-investment in the money he got from Coutinho paid off in multitudes and he got an absolutely insane team out of it in the end.

[@mochardiansah7452]

He left the club when they needed him the most. But his departure also made Liverpool way much better than before

[@fredericcjm7]

@@mochardiansah7452 we could have win that ucl final if he was still here:(

[@mochardiansah7452]

@@fredericcjm7 I doubt it, as we all know how terrible Karius blunders were

[@Angelina160]

He won the tremble with Bayern but yes now he’s just another player in the finished Barcelona

[@oyenankomo1284]

He was the best playmaker during his time at Liverpool

[@nikhilc5727]

Phil was one of the best visionary midfielder premier league will ever see

[@hawksnebula1506]

and he's coming back to Aston villa.

[@alyhassabelnaby8239]

It was actually Valverde who lost 4-0 at Anfield, not Setien.

[@DeathRecon97]

Yeah, a two second Google search could have confirmed this for them

[@mateusdias9419]

Amo demais o Coutinho!!! Espero que ele saia do Barcelona e salve a sua carreira.

[@naheem]

In 10 years little Coutinho will be forgotten. Klopp will be retired, leaving his legacy at Liverpool, with Salah, Mane and Firmino club legends.

[@evan8654]

Crazy how things turn out!

[@sonofapollo6814]

Coutinho would definitely have been in that list if he had stayed..

[@Munchman1]

Liverpool have only won 2 trophies of note ...

[@SuperRazerGames]

@@Munchman1 And your point is?

[@Munchman1]

@@SuperRazerGames Saying those Liverpool players and Klopp will leave a legacy and be legends. They have only (currently) won 2 trophies of note (league and UCL) and Coutinho has won 7 since he left (3 leagues, 3 cups and 1 UCL). If he stayed, there wouldn't have been the signings that his sale allowd so he'd likely have zero trophies at Liverpool. Worked out better for both.

[@philipslattery247]

You should do a What happened to Isco. A few years ago he was one of the most important players for Real and Spain. He's dropped off the face of the earth

[@giteausuperstar]

I kinda thought this before his transfer but this particular deal solidified my view that clubs should always cash in on players they get silly offers for and rebuild the side. Another example is Tottenham - should have taken the £100m for Kane.

[@fromthefountofyouth]

Daniel Levy missed a chance there, a chance he will never get again. He should have taken the £120m.

[@rostyawanaldy2402]

levy tought he could get anything he wanted, too bad

[@darganx]

They got cold feet after the last time with the Bale money..

[@AGingerPleb]

I appreciate what he did for Liverpool when he was here, but it doesn’t excuse the way he wanted to leave and how he went about it for me enough so to not even want to accept him back

[@rodneymoonga7993]

You should thank him for leaving regardless, Liverpool would have never won the premier league if it wasn't for his transfer

[@redchanez8511]

Even though he has not been the best club player as of late. People cannot deny that he is a monster for Brazil. Even winning a copa America for Brazil(without Neymar). Hopefully, he can gain his form back soon and leave Aston Villa.

[@shaneali9598]

Coutinho was outrageous at Liverpool his long shots looked effortless

[@buntumtongana]

Valverde was the one who lost against Liverpool, not Setien.

[@areamannamesyoutubechannel3139]

Yeah and Coutinho was still at the club. He played in both legs. The video said he was ‘long gone by then’ at Bayern. I think he was with Bayern when they won the CL in 19-20

[@BiggieTrismegistus]

That mistake is so egregious I think this video should be taken down and re-edited. It's kind of hard to take Tifo seriously when they botch something as basic as "what year events occurred in".

[@huba1378]

The main problem these days has been that big clubs like Real, Barca, PSG and Man U have been buying every emerging star without really knowing what to do with them other than preventing them from joining another club. This is one of the main reasons why players like Pogba, Mbappe, Coutinho, Dembele and Neymar failed to live up to expectations. Just look at Ziyech who warms the bench at Chelsea instead of playing first team for Ajax or even for some other team like West Ham or Sevilla. In this regard, I do respect Man City as they create more stars than they buy despite being a big money club.

[@yusuf5753]

man city totally never spent 100 mil on grealish

[@mikele2o9]

Weird to list mbappe when he's one of the best and still young enough to improve... And Neymar has always been amazing just injured

[@vivian3921]

This is just one side of the story. The very teams you have mentioned also bought pther players who are or have improved. You should watch this video again, it clearly tells how the mismanagement of barca affected coutinho...its not something that happens with big clubs

[@huba1378]

​@@mikele2o9 He's currently one of the best but his momentum has dropped ever since he moved to PSG and he's not as good as he should have been by now. If he doesn't get out of PSG next year he's probably not going to reach his full potential. As for Neymar he's still good but he was supposed to rival Messi and Ronaldo a few years ago. Now he's nowhere near them and injury isn't the only issue. Granted he still plays very well and he himself is to blame for most of his problems, he would have been better off at a different club, even staying at Barca.

[@huba1378]

​@@vivian3921 As far as your point goes, that's kind of what I wanted to say except that Coutinho isn't a special case, it's become very common for these clubs to buy star players without knowing what to do with them. All they are doing is preventing these players from being relevant and going to the right club. The right player at the right time is necessary for cultivating smaller clubs. Liverpool got the right combinations of players at the right time and look where they are now. If Ajax carried its squad to the next it would be a lot more formidable and every player would be closer to reaching their full strength. In addition, Coutinho, Pogba, Dembelee and the others I mentioned are not the only examples. Just look at Griezmann, James, Hazard or even Jovic. They are nowhere near their full potential which they could have fulfilled if they stayed at their original clubs or moved to a slightly bigger club. To see the other side, Vardy and Tadic are still relevant and performing while playing for 2nd tier teams and also look at Griezmann who is performing well for Atletico after rejoining proving that he didn't belong at Barca.

[@samuelfinkelstein8099]

Been waiting for this vid!!!

[@TSEliot1978]

As a long time Liverpool fan I was never really convinced that he was anywhere near world class. He was a very good midfielder sure but he was very inconsistent and had like 1.5 really good season with the team. Obviously I wasn't happy when he left, but in hindsight it was the right move for he club. 120 million for him was outrageous really...

[@langletprolet8378]

It was the right move to sell. Just like how Spurs should’ve sold Kane in the summer. Because declining such offers are lose-lose for clubs, as the player will be demotivated to play and you miss out on big cash.

[@migtasti]

The streets will never forget how class he was at his apex

[@phatmeow7764]

people forget in early Pool/Klopp days it was the Firminho/Coutinho partnership (b4 mane/salah came) that generated lots of assists/goals and even as a neutral football fan no one likes a great talent to fade away...

[@ElMaestro1710]

Coutinho's situation also happened to James Rodriguez and Isco. All of them are prime examples of luxurious attacking midfielders who cannot cope with the transition of tactics. Managers now require not only prolific attackers but also attackers who can press and defend.

[@tdyerwestfield]

He's burnt bridges. Otherwise, he'd have been back at Liverpool in a heartbeat. He paid £10m of the transfer fee to Barcelona out of his own money to make sure he could get out of Liverpool. No one at the club liked that and he'll never be welcomed back by Klopp.

[@HonestFarmerLigue1Fan]

-Liverpool raised Coutinho's wage and offered him bonus that would raise depended on how many goals and assists he booked. - Liverpool bought star players so Coutinho would be happier to play with fellow stars. - Jürgen Klopp told Jordan Henderson to give the armband to Coutinho (which he obeyed) to make Coutinho happy. - Jürgen Klopp gave the penalty scorer mandate to Coutinho when James Milner and Mo Salah were there. Still not enough. Snakes will be snakes.

[@karimzakaria9621]

I can't picture Coutinho in Klopp's system anymore, idk how to explain it.

[@longlivethechieff]

@@HonestFarmerLigue1Fan Umm correction: I'd like to think they bought players to make the team better, not so that he'd he "happier". Henderson wasn't told to give Coutinho the armband, he wore the armband when Henderson and Milner weren't playing because he was the longest serving player at the club in the XIs that he captained. Same as Suarez in 2014 when Gerrard and Agger were out. And Coutinho took penalties(and I think it was only one) when Milner wasn't playing, Salah was still new at the time and the one penalty he'd taken, he'd missed. At the time Milner and Firmino were the penalty takers. Also, I wouldn't label him a snake, both him and Klopp said it that he loved Liverpool so much but as a Brazilian, he couldn't turn down the pull of a chance to play for Barcelona. It hurt me to see him go but I understood, he hadn't won anything at Liverpool yet and he felt like he was ready to make the "next big step", too bad it didn't work out for him and too bad there's no space in this Liverpool team for him to come back and occupy Let's not add spice to fuel false narratives 💀👀

[@HonestFarmerLigue1Fan]

@@longlivethechieff Coutinho faked an injury when he actually was simply refusing to play and he used his own pocket money to force an exit. If it wasn't a snake, I don't know what was. Unlike you, I watched Coutinho since he was at Inter. Back then people only thought of him as bootleg Sneijder and rival fans dissed Liverpool for buying a bench warmer and giving him no. 10 shirt.

[@togelz]

@@HonestFarmerLigue1Fan yeah i remember the fake injury and the whole paying 10 mil out of his own pocket thing, still hurts remember what happened back then I know at that time most players would leave Liverpool for Real or Barca in a heartbeat but the way Cou handled his transfer was disrespectful for a club who literally picked him from garbage can and turned him into becoming the golden child

[@AFunkyHypnoCat]

he was my favourite player for a long time, hope he gets his career back on track

[@theLonelyBandit6984]

Tifo. There was an error in the video. It was the 2018/19 season where Coutinho was a first team regular and that's we Liverpool beat Barca. Under Setien, Barca lost to Bayern in semis (Bayern 8-2 much so no Bayern player had dinner after the match)

[@nicholaskandilis5482]

He struggled with a great sadness

[@yt.personal.identification]

I remember Coutinho pushing for the move before the Neymar transfer. He wanted to play with his mate...Neymar. The Neymar transfer just gave Liverpool a chance to milk more cash...and add the "No more transfers for 5 years" clause.

[@ste9890]

Error at 5:07 - it was Valverde that oversaw the Liverpool disaster. He wasn't sacked until January 2020. Setien took over after that and lasted until August, being sacked after the Bayern Munich battering.

[@090naveen]

TIFO SHOULD MAKE A VIDEO ON ALL THE LIVERPOOL PLAYER EXITS during the Klopp ERA and why they werent successful at all. The likes of Coutinho,Widnaldum, Emre Can all of whom liverpool wanted to stay, but left the club for bigger ambitions and ended up somewhere.

[@knkyeung7812]

I thought Can is quite important at BVB now?

[@feelsveryChadman]

@@knkyeung7812 even Gini is breaking through first team and is becoming increasingly important in box to box role alongside veratti in the psg squad

[@DukiTovke]

To be fair Wijnaldum is top class but he is an aging player with one or two maybe good seasons ahead of him.I don't think he left like coutinho and Suarez who were chasing glory, i think he left to finish his career.

[@bratwurstred]

Emre and Gini were both open to staying and were simply not offered contracts by the club. No drama and wouldn’t make for an interesting deep dive like this one.

[@suhailsamsuddeen4399]

Klopp is a man who known for bring the best out of the players Considering Coutinho's he wasn't used properly by any of the former managers in barcelona and that made him exposed at times with his inability to defend or run 90mins all day long Emre can wasn't a great player anyway allthough there wasn't that much of downgrade on his performance since his move to dortmund and started to adapt new roles too Wijnaldum is doing quite good considering how bad is psg as a team even pochettino didn't figured out what to do with the whole squad and he's already passed 30 there's only a few season ahead of his career

[@Prederick]

Bit of a mixed bag, I think. Certainly, if you left it up to Coutinho, he'd ditch Barcelona yesterday to go back to Bayern. He did get a CL title though, although I think it's obviously clear that Liverpool "won" that transfer. EDIT: He's no Ousmane Dembele, at least.

[@Biggestsquid23]

Why not Dembele has arguably been better at Barca

[@Otoskire]

I think dembele has been a lot better, at least from what I’ve seen, he’s just constantly injured but still not that old and could give the club a bit more

[@langletprolet8378]

A CL medal isn’t really all that impressive if your contribution is minimal. Hence why nobody talks about Coutinho for that CL title win, instead other players are more credited for it.

[@Prederick]

@@langletprolet8378 Is it impressive to some fans? No. Did he get a winners medal? Yes, and between that and scoring in the QFs and playing in the final, even if was only for 22 minutes, I'm 100% sure he doensn't care if it impressed us.

[@questlove_]

anyone here after his goal and assist at Aston Villa vs Manchester Utd?

[@peter308]

he is invincible at Liverpool. I don't recall anyone playing better than him of his position.

[@prod.2733]

Your information is so off about Coutinhos involvement during Flicks reign in the 19/20 season.. He started many games under Flick and was amazing for him.

[@benedictschwarz324]

Well those starts came mainly when coman or muller were unavailable. When everyone was fit coutinho didn’t play and you saw that in Lisbon.

[@arghyadipdewan2770]

The Athletic seems to have some facts wrong. 1) Ernesto Valverde was not sacked during the 18-19 season. He was sacked in January 2020. 2) Quique Setien was not in charge of Barca's humiliation at anfield during the UCL Semis, rather it was Valverde, with Coutinho in his squad. 3) It was Setien who oversaw the disastrous 8-2 humiliation at the hands of Bayern during the delayed single leg quarter final of the 2020 UCL Campaign, in which Coutinho scored a goal. P.S - get your basic facts right, if you claim to be one of the best places for football journalism.

[@krisr3868]

When you say that Neymar was unwillingly sold at 2:03, should I understand that as "Barca did not want to sell Neymar"? Because the way I interpret it, is that Neymar didn't want to be sold, which is obviously false (if he didn't want to be sold, he could have declined PSG's contract offer, which we all know he didn't)

[@stevendchu]

Yes, Barca DID NOT want to let go of Neymar at all. You can see that in their panicked attempts to replace him w/ Dembele. Back in 2017, nobody thought PSG would be that bold (or stupid?) to pay 200 mil for a player.

[@AkshayKumar-nf2uv]

Coutinho was not long gone by the time Liverpool beat Barcelona. He was in the starting 11 for barca in the game against Liverpool at anfield. Also valverde was in charge for that game for barca.

[@tshiremonchonyane1365]

Sometimes players are in denial and dunno when to move from their dream club...like James and coutinho...Their talents are undeniable...just weren't a good fit. Everything james had to offer especially in creativity they had in modric,bale and benzema to supply the big man himself, zidane needed a shield for ramos and varane which is where casemiro came in...in teams like these talent is NOT enough. A shame ,James who should be at his peak is now securing a family bag in QATAR. He could have gone to prove himself in another top team...like city ,chelsea or juve where a system would fit him. Coutinho was never a fit. IN the 10 role he doesn't compete because of messi and he's not a natural CM..playing in between LW and CAM which is what he played at liverpool would require a formation adjustment one that would destabilize the team. IT's not that he is not good enough...just not a good fit. Same for griezmann at barca

[@lightcase377]

Players like Coutinho and Courtois are so funny to me, both slagged off their clubs for weeks and ended up becoming hated and wanted to go to another club for a Champions league title, then both their previous clubs Liverpool and Chelsea went on to win the UCL title right after they left and both were knocked out of the UCL by their previous club

[@Usaiddshah]

“Oversea that disastrous exit to Liverpool “ Valvarde was in-charge against Liverpool 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@DaroriDerEinzige]

He was extremly good at Liverpool, went to Barca, was kinda good - Barca was like "Nah mate", loaned him to Bayern, he won the Treble there, went back, Barca said again "Nah mate" and now he scored for Villa in the Premier League against ManU in his debute. I would laugh really hard if he even would win a title with Villa now ... xD

[@shantanubharvirkar7759]

Setien didn't suffer the Liverpool defeat.... Ernesto Valverde did in 2019....setien suffered the Bayern 8-2 game in 2020....get your facts right lads

[@GustavoSilva-ny8jc]

Incredible video!!! It's so good to see all the context, or a context focused i should say, video on his situation instead of uniquely trying to put all the blame on him.

[@pedropierre9594]

As a Real Madrid fan I was elated when Barcelona bought Coutinho, something told me it wouldn’t work out same thing with Griezzman, two players that wouldn’t fit the tiki taka style

[@CerealBox64]

Tifo you might want to reupload this, Valverde was in charge when Barca lost to Liverpool, Coutinho was also playing for Barca that night.

[@narutokunn]

"Flick's demand for a high-pressing style hardly suited him" while he had thrived under Klopp!!? Can someone explain the differences?

[@dhairyashah982]

There is a genuine difference in levels of 2016-17 Liverpool and Liverpool today.

[@sponish0]

as a liverpool fan its a shame he didn't stay longer we got a glimpse of the "fantastic 4" firminio mane salah and him for a few months would of been great to see more

[@NikkoNikko98]

Liverpool Coutinho was just different

[@fearnot90sm]

Coutinho is My favorite player in football I’ve seen him live once I was mesmerized.

[@albertwilson5028]

Who's here after he is loaned to aston villa to join Steven Gerrard....?

[@joshuareid3778]

Thank you to Coutinho! His sale really laid down the foundation of a great Liverpool team.

[@shawnps4187]

"Stay here, and they will build a statue in your honour. Go somewhere else, to Barcelona, to Bayern Munich, to Real Madrid, and you will be just another player. Here you can be something more." - Jurgen Klopp

[@itsgionnie]

Jürgen Klopp on Philippe Coutinho: "I told him stay here and they will end up building a statue in your honour. Go somewhere else, to Barcelona, to Bayern Munich, to Real Madrid, and you will be just another player. Here you can be something more.”

[@bri1085]

Funny thing about that quote is that it was Coutinho who said it, not Klopp

[@BiggieTrismegistus]

@@bri1085 Nope, according the Independent it was Klopp.

[@bri1085]

@@BiggieTrismegistus the quote came from ESPN Brasil, it was done in Portuguese and somewhere along the way the story around it changed

[@ewan7283]

Maybe proofread the athletic articles you copy. Setien wasn't in charge until the following year, and dembele joined the summer before coutinho

[@errorcode1815]

He was a magic player to watch but the move couldn't have come at a worse time for his career. I don't think he could play in the current Liverpool team but I would love to see him wearing red again

[@taptronics]

He is mentally broken already and Klopp knows it.

[@Rybo4]

So we can thank the oil club PSG for giving the money for Neymar which then got given to Liverpool for Coutinho, and then to Southampton and Roma for Van Dijk and Alisson. And now Barca are in the Europa League lol

[@BiggieTrismegistus]

Yep. The biggest beneficiary of Neymar going to PSG was actually Liverpool. That's not to say it's was bad for PSG but they still haven't won the Champions League either.

[@rsvjr619]

What Coutinho learned was the same thing a lot of players learn when they leave Liverpool, (1) times will never be as good (2) you are not that good and (3) it’s a cold world. Get a jacket.

[@darganx]

Right except don't agree with (2).

[@throne77fghgh86]

He was a deadly performer at liverpool, he was and still getting a high paid salary at barca, he won major silverwears by joining bayern. Nothing happened to him, he's living his best life 😎

[@A-Grat-A]

After his career he will end up in "shown great promises, but never became the legend" list of players alongside with Pogba.

[@HonestFarmerLigue1Fan]

playing in Europa League is definitely the best life for someone worth 140+ million euro

[@Mr__Frodo]

That's the curse.Fernando Torres,Hazard,Coutinho,Wijnaldum,,even Messi and Neymar to Psg,great players chasing money falling down in the end.

[@miamitten1123]

He won the Champion’s League with Bayern Munich. That’s what happened to him. He just chilled out. He’s won enough. Made it to Liverpool folklore. Now he’s just chillin’ 😎 Not every footballer wants or has to be dedicated like C.Ronaldo.

[@HonestFarmerLigue1Fan]

Do you even watch any Barcelona game? Everytime Coutinho is on the pitch, he looks miserable. Sure he has money so he can feed his family. But what about HIS own happiness?

[@Toasty_93]

Looking at this now, it really does seem like a move to Villa would be ideal for everyone involved. Gerrard knows what sort of player he is and what system he works in having seem him up close at his peak, so most of the issues brought up would likely be addressed. Plus, I imagine there aren't many people who'd disagree that most of their attacking moves would go through him, so he'd once again be allowed to dictate play, something he's been deprived of in the last few years.

[@DutchTDK]

Any footballer who switched clubs post 2017: "Thanks neymar!"

[@dlaminidlamini7844]

Moral of the story is he wanted to leave Liverpool we didn't want him to go but, you can't force someone to do something, so we sold him and now he wants to reverse uno, but no no no no... we do not get need such bad energy

If he stayed in Liverpool he would be still top player and LFC wouldn't be the top team.

[@KinnyRiddle]

What are you talking about? Valverde was still manager of Barca during THAT game in Anfield.

[@ismailkar3852]

If mo salah goes to Barcelona, this is how it would end up for him, i hope he stays he'll be a legend.

[@A-Grat-A]

Barca would be able to afford him in next several years and even at that time Mo's career will slow down, cus he is 28 or so now.

[@efanferdiantowibowo9610]

no way barcelona could afford salah's wage demand

[@BiggieTrismegistus]

@@efanferdiantowibowo9610 At this point I don't Barca could afford anyone's wage demands.

[@EliasRoy]

@@BiggieTrismegistus Cry harder fool

[@chandlerliu5685]

uhh You mistaken the date terribly. @5:03 19-20 Barca's 'disastrous' defeat against Liverpool was in 18-19 when Valverde was in charge. Coutinho joined Bayern, scored two goals, and humiliated Barca with 8-2 scoreboard in 19-20 season. That was the season when Valverde left and when Setien took over halfway through the season.

[@coachhbosoccer]

Coutinho will always be a Liverpool legend. For his performances and what his transfer to Barca allowed LP to accomplish.

[@thehoodieguy1341]

Who's here after Coutinho is back in the Premier League

[@azilan4288]

Nothing much, he just became a usual Barca player.

[@fingerscrossed1307]

Can't blame the dude. But I'd be nervous moving to a club whose intent seems to be revolving the whole team around one person (even though they won't admit it).

[@Ben_PN]

Thanks for the Alisson and Virgil's transfer funds, Phil. Even though you won more trophies at Barca and Bayern, you did it as a rotation option. Your biggest playing career legacy will still remain at Anfield.

[@sweealamak628]

He gave his all to the club but finishing runners up in so many competitions both league and cup broke his will to continue. Outside of football, things were not going well either. I think when his car window got smashed in May 2017 was the last straw, he then agreed with his wife's request to move to Spain. It got delayed by 6 months but he was effectively out the door. His career might not be flying high at the moment but his family is happier now... and so are Liverpool 😊

[@mateusdias9419]

O Philippe ajudou bastante o Liverpool!!!

[@BTmaz11]

Did anyone else comment on the error made in the video: It was not Setien who oversaw the defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League in 2018/19. It was Valverde. 5:11

[@jg7088]

Lol Setien oversaw the disaster to Bayern a year later not Liverpool

[@Saomn89]

Coutinho has been sacrificed to build a formidable liverpool team that will forever be thankful of that 121.5 million

[@theammadam]

Barca happened to him. Not the only player Barca has ruined Greizeman, dembele, list goes on

[@darganx]

Great player at Liverpool, but my only regret is not seeing the Fab Four really fly at Anfield. If he comes back to the PL I only see him at one club that can match his wage demands and give him creative freedom, and that's Newcastle - if they can stay up! Maybe a loan move in January, who knows?