WANTED: THE NEXT COUTINHO
There’s a desperate lack of creativity in midfield (if only Reds had a certain Brazilian)
PERHAPS it was naive to feel the moment would never come. For more than 12 months, his name has barely been mentioned as Liverpool have made big strides without him.
But he is back in the conversation now. After a 0-0 draw at Goodison Park, it was impossible not to think about Philippe Coutinho and wonder what difference he would have made in those tight moments when ingenuity is required. It was the same at Old Trafford seven days earlier.
There is something contradictory about this argument. Liverpool have, without question, improved as a team without the Brazilian. The £146million they received from Barcelona enabled them to buy Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk — and look at the impact those signings have had on their defensive record.
They are the meanest team in the land and, thanks to an outstanding goalkeeper and a central defender who is odds-on to be named PFA Player of the Year, have thrown down their most compelling and sustained title challenge since 1990.
Challenging, however, is not enough in the eyes of their supporters. No honour will be taken if they finish second once again in May, only a sense of regret. If Liverpool fall short, they will wonder what more could have been done to get over the line.
This is where Coutinho comes into it. He was the one man in Liverpool’s midfield who had the ability to set off on a run and unleash a rocket from 30 yards into the top corner, or deliver those cute little balls into dangerous areas that make fools of defenders.
Liverpool tried to replace him last summer. Lyon’s Nabil Fekir was identified as the best option but a failed medical caused that £56million transfer to collapse.
The club could not commit to that kind of outlay for a player who had once ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament.
Xherdan Shaqiri was recruited as a cut-price alternative but his influence, after the initial fizz of autumn, has waned. It was significant, as Liverpool chased a goal to maintain their lead at the top of the table, that Klopp did not turn to the Swiss.
AS THEY pursue the prize they crave so much, Liverpool have Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Gini Wijnaldum, Fabinho, Naby Keita and Adam Lallana as their midfield options.
None of these men should be disparaged and all have qualities, but Graeme Souness made a key point.
‘If you’re playing in Liverpool’s back four right now, that’s the midfield you want,’ said Souness. ‘If you’re playing up front, that’s maybe not the midfield you want.
‘They don’t create too much, they don’t slip clever or cute passes in. That’s where they’re coming unstuck. City are in the driving seat.’
And these numbers illustrate why — City’s midfield has contributed 24 goals and 18 assists in the Premier League. Liverpool’s engine room is responsible for only 12 goals and nine assists and, as Souness points out, that is not enough.
Time will tell if this will be detrimental. A draw at a baying Goodison Park is not a bad result but Liverpool are in a race where every false step is magnified.
They need to be faultless from here — their artisans need to start applying some sheen.