Coutinho has tough acts to follow
Philippe Coutinho arrives at Barcelona bearing both a massive price tag and the legacy of the long line of Brazilian stars who have dazzled at Camp Nou.
The comparisons will be constant with Neymar, whose world-record move to Paris Saint-Germain in August provided Barcelona with the up to 160 million ($268.3m) needed to acquire Coutinho at a cost that would have seemed ludicrous six months before. Only Neymar and PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe surpass it.
But while Neymar, as before him Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Ronaldo and Romario, all became fan favourites by starring in Barcelona’s attack, Coutinho will have to measure up to the club’s long line of top, and largely homegrown, midfielders.
The 25-year-old Coutinho comes to Spain charged with the daunting task of one day taking over as their midfield leader, with Andres Iniesta entering the career twilight zone at age 33.
Coutinho can count on the big advantage of setting up Lionel Messi for goals as he strives to justify the club-record fee Barcelona agreed to pay at the weekend, when they finally pried him away from Liverpool after the English club had refused to let him go during the northern summer.
Even though Ernesto Valverde has successfully kept Barcelona winning after predictions of decline abounded after Neymar’s unwanted departure, Coutinho will greatly increase the coach’s options in a Philippe Coutinho. midfield that is still heavily reliant on Iniesta for playmaking spark. His signing signals Barcelona’s intention to refocus on the patch of the pitch that has defined their passing style for decades, an emphasis that had slipped somewhat in recent years with Neymar, Messi and Luis Suarez forming a powerful attack, albeit sometimes at the expense of its ability to dominate possession. Suarez, who played with Coutinho at Liverpool, said of the new arrival: “I think he will help our team a lot.” Coutinho can play anywhere in midfield. That will help ensure him a place in a midfield that has firstchoice players in Iniesta on the left, Ivan Rakitic on the right, and Sergio Busquets in a defensive role, but little else.