When Phillippe Coutinho arrived in Catalonia in 2018 for a staggering €160 million, he was widely hailed as the heir to Andres Iniesta. It was a galactico move, deemed as the start of a new golden era. Instead, his tenure became a story of wasted talent, mismanagement and a club losing its way. Let’s discuss what went wrong with the Brazilian’s saga at Barca.
The Iniesta Heir who did not fit in The Barcelona Way
Barcelona’s biggest flaw was considering Coutinho to be Iniesta’s heir. Both players were wizards, but their operating styles were completely different. Iniesta was a player who connected lines and served as an architect. Coutinho’s prime at Liverpool shows himself as a pure number 10 who loved to shoot from a distance and dance with his feet.
Coutinho struggled to anchor the Barca midfield like Iniesta. He was more of a ball-carrying, dribbling midfielder, and this did not fit Barca’s possession-based system. The creative freelancing that the Brazilian used to operate at Liverpool was not possible at Barca, as it was more of a Messi role here.
A Winger Who Was Never a Winger
When Coutinho failed to replicate Iniesta’s wizardry, Valverde shoved him onto the left wing. He used to play this role at Anfield and was very successful, but things were different here at Barca. The Brazilian was given the number 7 and deployed as a winger on the left, but he was completely stranded.
This was because Messi used to dominate in the central zones and connect with an overlapping Alba on the left. Coutinho used to crowd the same spaces as Leo, and this created chaos. Then Valverde shifted to 4-4-2, and Coutinho shined a bit as a wide midfielder in the 18/19 season, but the return to 4-3-3 again left him exposed. The Brazilian was not a winger like Neymar, and thus, he proved a golden player misfit to Barca.
Confidence, Criticism, and the Bayern Loan
Coutinho’s struggles were more than just tactical misfits or managerial issues. The player suffered psychologically a lot as he could not justify his price tag. Culers turned on him amazingly fast, booing his touches. He celebrated a “I cant hear you” celebration during a goal against United in the UCL, which shows that he was struggling mentally.
Injury further eroded his confidence. He was left helpless and a bench warmer. The next season, he was loaned to Bayern, and there, he briefly discovered himself under Flick. Flick’s Bayern was more like Liverpool, where Coutinho was able to find his spark again. He scored twice against Barca in the 8-2 humiliation, and this proves his talent was there—it was just drowned under the intense Barca system.
The End of Coutinho’s Saga at Barca
After a successful loan spell at Bayern, hopes were higher that he would shine in a struggling Barcelona and rediscover himself. But, Alas, he floundered once again. Injuries, tactical issues, and fan disliking saw him get loaned to Aston Villa in 2022, and then he was sold for only €20 million!
It was a considerable loss, leaving Barcelona’s financial affairs in a massive disaster. The after-effects of Coutinho and Dembele’s failed transfers are still affecting the Catalans, and it shows why forced talents can sometimes become disastrous.
Coutinho, by no means, was a lousy player. He was a bad fit and may have joined Barcelona at a bad time. His story warns against forcing talent into misfitted roles. It’s sad to see him play out of Europe, as the Brazilian had the potential to become one of the best midfielders in Barcelona’s history if things worked well.