When Phillipe Coutinho was clamoring for his dream move to Football Club de Barcelona, no one could
have envisaged that in less than two years, the Brazilian playmaker could have been deemed surplus to
requirement considering the amount of money the Spanish giant club paid to acquire his service in
January 2018.
“Stay here in Liverpool, a statue will be built to honor you here, but in Barcelona, you will become just
another player,” Jurgen Klopp told Coutinho before his move to Barcelona.
The very first six months of the Brazilian superstar in Catalan club were filled with flashes of trickery and
goal involvement. Yet he was playing the wing and offensive midfield area of Barcelona and that was all.
The deal that worth €140 million is just over. The former Liverpool dazzler was now the shadow of
himself and the song of praise heap on him as the successor to Iniesta’s throne has now turned to in-
play boo.
Just like the spell at Barcelona, the first few of the Barcelona megastar at Allianz Arena, the Brazilian
dazed the German spectators with flamboyant skills and samba ball. But Kalz Rummunuige was forced
to openly state that the Bavarian club would not be exercising the option to buy Coutinho from
Barcelona as the Brazilian is a shadow of his former self.
But! Is Phillipe Coutinho the answer to the unknown question at the Emirate Stadium in North London of
England?
Arsenal Football Club of England is close to signing the Brazilian on loan from FC Barcelona. The Brazilian
might be currently losing his confidence to play and may not even get his mojo back, but his quality can
never be doubted at least not even once.
But he heeds to play in an environment where he needs to play and be exalted, just like his days in
Liverpool. Phillipe Coutinho, the former attacking genius is nowhere near his lethal best. But his
potential move to the Emirate stadium could be a winning deal for him to rejuvenate his career back on
track.
Arsenal, on the other hand, is growing back to its potential best. After Sportingbet confirmed the signing
of Cedric Soares and pablo Mari in the January 2024 transfer window, the Gummers are still looking at
recuiting more this summer. Are they really growing back to the top team they once are?
Is it the atmosphere of the new coach in town that elevated them back to the FA Cup triumph in earlier
August? No one could have Mikel Arteta if the team did not win the FA Cup back to the Emirate stadium.
But is that the best they can offer? Or is their more to the FA Cup triumph over Chelsea. No one gave
Arsenal the chance against the Citizens in the cup competition semifinals back in June, but the win gave
the Gunners the necessary surge to push forward and eventually won Chelsea despite going under for
the larger spell of the first half.
Winning the FA Cup had made some Gunners believe once again, but some are unfazed despite the FA
Cup glory. Despite winning Manchester City and Chelsea in a tantalizing fashion and defensive prowess,
the Gunners need to do more with their attacking inlets.
Although, the Gunners are clamoring for the signature of Coutinho fellow Brazilian “Williams” the
creative spark needed to open up any defence with a precise pass and ability to drive the team forward
when needed is lacking in Williams. At least he is not consistent with it.
A lack of creativity has been an issue throughout the campaign and is a major factor in why they are
facing their lowest finish in a quarter of a century. In the Premier League this season, Arsenal ranks 16th
for shots, below relegated Norwich. The expected goals data put them only three places higher,
sandwiched between Watford and Brighton.
“I have experienced that for four years at Manchester City, working out the best ways to break that
down,” says Arteta, speaking exclusively to Sky Sports ahead of Arsenal’s final Premier League game of
the season against Watford on Sunday. “It is one of the challenges we are facing and one of the areas
where we have to improve, for sure.”
That improvement requires patience, according to Arteta. And while it would certainly help him to have
players of the calibre of Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, and the rest at his disposal at Arsenal, it is also a
question of shape, of collective understanding, and of forensic attention to detail. But certainly, Phillipe
Coutinho would have supplement the calibre of the player mention above.
“Sometimes it is down to individual quality, but the whole structure is probably even more important in
order to be a threat in the spaces that you want to attack,” says Arteta. “How consistent you are in
maintaining those attacks also depends on the structure behind the ball. “Everything is linked together
and the players have to understand that.
The lack of inch-perfect cross form the Gunners full is worrisome. The full-backs are there to
compliment the lack of creative spark from the midfield. But Arsenal’s full-back lack of creativity is
worrisome.
Most time the Gunner identity is lost in the middle of the park, but the ability of the fullbacks to
supplement the creativity can drive the team to the greater height just like the Merseyside’s Liverpool.
But Arsenal’s lack of creativity in the middle and the sides have put enormous pressure on the attackers
to deliver more.
Furthermore, the purchase of Nicolas Pepe was meant to relieve the Arsenal captain of his goal-scoring
duties and attract fewer opponents to him, but the signing of the Ivorian is yet to materialize. Although
the Ivorian born winger had improved greatly under the guidance of Mikel Arteta, his ability to drive
opposition to his side had been futile and the Gunners captain had a lower input when it comes to
defensive shift.
No one has disputed the work rate of Alexandre Lacazzette, but the goal involvement of the French
international is gradually decreasing as it used to be. But the ability to win a match is not solely based
upon the defence solidarity, rather the number of goals scored by the winning team.
Like Phillipe Coutinho, Arsenal is finding his feet stuck in the average quality mud of the mid-table and
the inability of the Arsenal to qualify for the UEFA Champions League is costing the team fortune on and
off the pitch.
But the acquisition of Arteta had brought a smile to the face of the Gunners fans worldwide and made
believe again. But what Arsenal really need is a creative and goal-scoring midfielder, to relieve the
pressure of the attacker that has been the backbone of driving the team to this extent.
The purchase of Phillipe Coutinho might be hearsay, irrelevant, or might still not be completed, but just
as Coutinho needs to find his footing once again, Arsenal is striving to rejuvenate their status back to the
top team they once were in England. Thus Arsenal football club needs Coutinho than they could have
imagined as Coutinho needs Arsenal beyond his pedigree.
