Thread by @EBL2017

A motivated Coutinho is a special player. Lest we forget who he was towards the end of his time at Liverpool - a world class footballer. He had 20 goals and assists in 20 appearances by the time he left. He also had 23 G+A in 36 games in the previous season in a dysfunctional LFC

Then, Coutinho made the ridiculous decision to go to Barca. The Brazilian was completely clouded by emotion when the deal made absolutely no sense. He is the focal point of an attack, the primary ball carrier, the creative focal point and then he joined a team with Messi 🙄

So, Coutinho came to feet as he always does, look up to create for others butttt he had nobody making penetrative runs.... This made it easy for him & subsequently Barca to be played against. Then, as his confidence naturally waned, he shied away from receiving in Messi's shadow

So, where Coutinho is now as a player is entirely up to him. Is he in a situation where he is 100% committed to the game where he can return as a top player at a club like Villa who suit him perfectly or will he make another wrong career choice & not be as committed as possible?

The decision making part in terms of what club he joins is entirely down to him. On paper, if Coutinho joins Villa, he will excel. At Newcastle, it'll be much more difficult for him due to him not fitting the 4-4-2. Secondly, the gamble centres around his current attitude.

Despite the potential of Coutinho being a flop due to his potential lack of commitment to the game after many years out of the limelight, he is absolutely worth the gamble for Gerrard's Villa. It is the only question mark - he is a world class talent who fits the system otherwise

So, for football's sake, hopefully we can see Coutinho at the elite level again in a club that play to his strengths combined with him being fully committed to the cause. Gerrard's Villa suit him to a tee, so hopefully he makes the right choice unlike the one he made with Barca.

Gerrard's 4-3-3 enables Coutinho to operate in the area in which he's most dangerous - the left half space between the lines. He will also primarily play alongside runners (Traore, Trezeguet, Ings, Watkins, etc). Targett is also a good combiner/overlapper.

https://twitter.com/futbolenthus/status/1479197290577465348?t=5rc40BJK_teYTYHaKC8kWQ&s=19

The loan-to-buy deal means the Coutinho deal is low risk and high reward for Villa. If he fails, they don't buy him. If he succeeds, they do. It's all about his attitude. He has made the correct decision suitability wise in Villa, and if he's committed he'll succeed. Exciting!