“The team is not full of self-confidence and maybe they got a bit lost,” Jürgen Klopp said following Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Rubin Kazan on Thursday night. In an ideal world, the German would have come away with his trademark grin smattered across his face as he oversaw his first win as Reds boss at Anfield. Alas, it conspired to be another frustrating evening for the Merseysiders, who only scored with one of their 35 shots on goal, the latter figure the second most of all teams in a single match in the Europa League in the last four seasons.
Liverpool have now drawn their last four competitive outings and while the team are certainly covering more ground with Klopp in charge, they still lack the cohesive spark in the final third to challenge for a Champions League finish. The departures and Luis Suarez and Raheem Sterling certainly set Liverpool back, while Daniel Sturridge’s ongoing injury woes have proven to be a huge hindrance on the team's goalscoring capability. Danny Ings looked to be finding his feet before a cruciate ligament injury curtailed his campaign, not to mention fellow summer arrivals Roberto Firmino, Divok Origi - having spent last season on loan at Lille - and Christian Benteke’s initial struggles to replicate their best form on Merseyside.
As a result, the offensive onus has been thrust upon the shoulders of Philippe Coutinho, unquestionably a heavy burden to bear. The young Brazilian set the standards for a successful season high on the opening weekend of the campaign, netting the only goal of the game in the Reds’ 1-0 win at Stoke City. His thundering 25-yard strike saw both player and club make the ideal start to season following a summer of huge change. However, after such a promising outing, Coutinho’s form has dipped.
A WhoScored rating of just 6.89 is his lowest in the Premier League since signing from Inter as the 23-year-old struggles to carry the offensive burden for Liverpool. At a time when the Reds needed leadership when on the offensive, the Brazil international has struggled with the added responsibility in attack. When Sterling departed, Coutinho was presented with the chance to really lay a marker for the side in the final third, yet it appears as though he is trying too hard to fully endear himself to the Liverpool faithful.
Only Alexis Sánchez (45) has had more shots than Coutinho (39) in the Premier League this season, though the difference being that the former has six goals to his name to the latter’s one. Moreover, no player has had more shots in a top-flight match this term than the Liverpool attacker (10 vs Bournemouth), while his conversion rate (2.6%) is the worst of all players to score at least one Premier League goal this season. Unsurprsingly, he’s developed a statistically calculated WhoScored weakness of ‘finishing’ as a result. Coutinho’s still striving to drag his side to three points, that is clear for all to see, but - as the shots count suggest - he’s been unable to match expectations.
It’s not for want of trying, mind. His average of 65 touches per game this season is his second best return in the Premier League, as he is demanding the ball from teammates at any given opportunity. This is a positive sign, of that there is no doubt. Any player low on confidence could well cower into a shell, worried that any mistake would be scrutinised intensely by fans and pundits alike, but Coutinho’s on-field struggles haven’t limited his input. No Liverpool player is averaging more successful dribbles per game than Coutinho (1.8), which is a return of his bettered only once (3.1 in the 2014/15 campaign) in England’s top tier.
Either way, when he gets on the ball, Coutinho is still able to drift past opposition players with consummate ease, with such a quality able to bring fans to their feet. Yet, his decision-making when a chance to provide for a teammate presents itself has left a lot to be desired. An average of 1 key pass this season is his worst return in a campaign, though this could suggest that those around him aren’t making the runs he would usually spot. Losing two vital attacking teammates in successive summers' is enough for any player to struggle to cope with the demands of adapting to a new system. In short, Coutinho is effectively being forced to direct a five-star play with a brand new cast not yet used to his methods.
Without Sturridge on the pitch, he struggles to create in the final third and is instead taking it upon himself to hit the back of the net, which, as noted, is not playing to his strengths. Furthermore, constant links with a move to Barcelona look to have unsettled the player, but it’s crucial he adapts his game quickly in order to rediscover the form that made him such a key player upon his arrival at Anfield in the winter of 2013. His displays following his move to Liverpool a little under three years ago lit up the Premier League, but the flames are waning. With Klopp at the helm, though, he can breathe new life into Coutinho and it's surely just a matter of when, not if, the fire begins to burn as fiercly as it once did for the player.
Can Klopp help Coutinho rediscover his best form for Liverpool? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
