PREM ‘THE BEST MOVE FOR COUTS’
PHILIPPE COUTINHO must ask himself which club offers him the best chance of getting back his mojo as he prepares to quit Barcelona following a loan spell at Bayern Munich.
That’s the view of former Barca star Emmanuel Petit, who found himself in a similar position to the Brazilian’s soon after arriving at the Nou Camp from Arsenal.
Petit chose Chelsea, one of the leading contenders in the race to sign Coutinho, for his return to England. And after rediscovering his form at Stamford Bridge he enjoyed two good seasons in London before a final campaign that was disrupted by injury.
The Blues face competition for Coutinho from several Premier League clubs and Petit has advised the ex-liverpool star to think hard about making the right choice.
Petit (right) said: “His situation reminds me of when I left Arsenal for Barcelona. I had the feeling that somewhere I lost my football and my desire and motivation, and I tried to get it back.
“I thought that coming back to England would be the perfect thing for me and my family.
“If he thinks inside the best thing for him and his family is to come back to England to recover his football and motivation, then that is a good thing to do.
“For the moment, the main question he should ask himself is, ’What should I do to get my motivation back?’ When I look at him on the pitch, I have the feeling he is lonely – he is running after something he has probably lost.
“So he needs to work on his motivation and his desire and try then to get back to his best level.
“It doesn’t matter if you choose Chelsea or you go to Manchester, or whoever, the main question is, ‘What should I do to get my motivation back?’
“This is the main target for Coutinho if he wants to be a very top footballer on the pitch.”
Petit, a 1998 World Cup winner with France and a Premier League winner with Arsenal, knows how tough life can be at Barcelona.
He added: “Barcelona is completely different football from England, and it is completely different between Real Madrid and Barcelona.
“At Barcelona, from La Masia (Barcelona’s youth academy) to the first team, you play the same football all the time.
“Defenders, midfielders and forwards, they are all dedicated to the same way. That means when you sign for Barcelona and you have been playing different football, it is very difficult to adapt because of that.
“I realised when I signed for Barcelona that I could not play the same way I used to play for Arsenal – they would not accept me doing that.
“So I had to follow the rules and it’s very difficult when you are 27 or 28 years old because you are educated in a different way.
“When I look at Coutinho at Liverpool, before he signed for Barcelona, he was a wonderful player because he was so free on the pitch.
“But when you play for Barcelona it is completely different.
“To be honest, Coutinho should never have left Liverpool, because he was enjoying his football so much – and look what Liverpool are doing right now.
“But it’s easy to say that afterwards.”