Philippe Coutinho showed glimpses of his brilliance, but couldn’t shine over a season for Bayern Munich.
Bayern Munich delivered their biggest win of the domestic season against Werder Bremen in December. The defending champions desperately needed this victory after suffering consecutive defeats against Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen.
Philippe Coutinho was the star for Rekordmeister in this game as he scored his first hattrick in Bavarian colours. The victory against Bremen turned out to be the start of a long unbeaten run for the German club, a run of 13 games across all competitions till the football was suspended at the start of March due to coronavirus pandemic.
Bayern fans expected the Bremen game to also act as a springboard for Coutinho to kickstart his season. However, the performance was a false dawn for the Brazilian forward as he couldn’t back up that hattrick with a string of consistent performances.
Die Roten decided to sign Coutinho when they failed to sign Leroy Sane from Manchester City last summer. The Brazilian arrived at the club with much fanfare, but couldn’t live up to the expectations. Rekordmeister is surely not going to cough up more than €100 million to sign Coutinho permanently, and he will most likely return to Barcelona.
Lack of games in preferred position
Coutinho struggled to make a mark at Barcelona after moving to Spain in 2018 from Liverpool. The Brazilian was regularly played on the left-flank for the Spanish club, which restricted him from showing all qualities on the pitch. He was expected to get a chance to play in his favourite role at Die Roten.
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Robert Lewandowski was excited about playing in front of Coutinho. Niko Kovac gave the Brazilian an extended time in this role during September and October. Coutinho enjoyed a good run of form during this run, but he used to often go missing in the game for long spells. However, he was productive in the final third, so that helped him to hold on to a place in the starting XI.
After Hansi Flick’s appointment, Thomas Muller was restored into the lineup. Coutinho had to settle for a place on the bench. After Coman’s injury in December, the Brazilian forward had another Deja-vu moment as he had to play on the left-flank regularly. This change in position affected his performances, and he was now not even being decisive in the final third.
Struggling to fit in Flick’s style of play
Coutinho generally flourishes when the team is built around him, pulling strings of the creative side of the team from the number ten position. The Brazilian has found it difficult to do so at Die Roten when Flick took over the role of first-team manager.
Flick has tried to implement a high pressing football philosophy, where the whole team presses rigorously to win the ball. The likes of Serge Gnabry, Thomas Muller, and Ivan Perisic have fit into this style perfectly, making Coutinho an odd man out in the squad.
This doesn’t suggest that Coutinho cannot press vigorously during the game, but Flick has much better options than him to execute his instructions to perfections. Coutinho’s confidence looks to be shot into pieces as he has looked a shadow of himself after the winter break. He is getting a goal or assist here and there, but his overall performances have dipped than the first half of the season.
Philippe Coutinho has contributed to 17 goals across all competitions. He could have touched 25 goal contributions till the end of the season, making it a fairly decent output for a wide forward/attacking midfielder. However, this is an underwhelming output for a player that will command a fee in nine figures. It has been an unsuccessful spell for the Brazilian at Bavaria as he continues to rediscover his Liverpool form, which made him one of the best players in Europe. (Stats courtesy: Whoscored)