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Philippe Coutinho not surprised to see Liverpool flying high in the Premier League
Former Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho has told that he isn’t surprised to see Jurgen Klopp’s team currently flying high at the top of the Premier League.
The Brazilian spent five years at Anfield scoring 54 goals and registering 45 assists in 201 appearances for the club.
He made a £142 million switch to Barcelona in January 2018 and is now out on loan in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich.
In Coutinho’s absence and Klopp’s presence, Liverpool have gone from strength to strength. They won the Champions League last season and missed out on the Premier League despite claiming 97 points.
This time around Klopp has the Reds 22 points clear of their nearest challengers for the title and Coutinho isn’t surprised by their meteoric rise.
“Liverpool are flying and it doesn’t surprise me. We’ve seen it already last year when they won the Champions League but I’m also not surprised because of their fantastic squad and manager.
“I am so happy for them because I have so many friends there, former team-mates, so I’m happy for them but that’s all.”
Coutinho hasn’t proved to be the hit that many backed him to be at Barcelona and it came as no surprise when he was allowed to move out on loan.
In 76 appearances for the Catalan giants, he has netted 21 goals and registered 11 assists and could leave the club during the summer on a permanent basis.
Despite his struggles since leaving Anfield, the man paid holds no regrets about heading to Spain.
“I don’t look back. I took another path and now I am on another journey, much like everyone else. I’m focused entirely – just like Liverpool – on reaching my dreams. I’m happy with what I did in the past and now I can only look forward.”
TBR View – Coutinho comments appear to close door on a return
When he departed Anfield the Brazilian seemed to burn his bridges with the club.
Since leaving, however, he does seem to get linked with a move back to Liverpool during every transfer window.
Given their success, it would seem likely that most players in the world would consider a move to Liverpool.
The comments from Coutinho about looking forward do perhaps suggest that he isn’t overly keen on returning to the club.
Liverpool have moved on in his absence and it’s difficult to see where he would fit into a Jurgen Klopp-style system anyway.
Coutinho needs to rediscover himself at Bayern Munich and so far this season he has done alright.
A return might come off at some point in the future but for now the forward is better off focusing on reviving his career.