The Merseyside Maestro
In an era of structure and cohesion, cast your mind back to eight years ago, and it was Philippe Coutinho who was defying all logic and standards.
The Brazilian was signed from Inter Milan in 2013, with his slick and incisive passing creating chances for the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez, which quickly made him a fan favourite.
Coutinho also bore witness to Liverpool’s period of transition, including the departure of big names such as Luis Suarez, Raheem Sterling and club legend Steven Gerrard.
By the time Jurgen Klopp arrived on Merseyside, Coutinho was the Reds’ chief creator and became renowned for gliding around the edge of the box before adding his signature curled effort into the back of the net.
If the revered trio of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane wasn’t enough to terrorise Europe’s elite, they also had to contend with Coutinho pulling the strings for six months.
Let’s dive into how it could have panned out in the long term.
A Heavy Metal dynasty?
“I like heavy metal more. I always want it loud.”
A quote synonymous with Klopp, especially during his first few seasons at Anfield and Coutinho especially, would have been the fulcrum of his philosophy.
Operating as a free-roaming number 10, Coutinho was in fine form as Liverpool’s front three reached dizzying heights, headlined by the electric Salah in his debut season.
Their relentless pressing and devastating counter attacks saw Liverpool register 69 goals in the first half of the season, only failing to find the back of the net on four occasions.
But it was their defence that was proving problematic, with Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip and Ragnar Klavan unable to provide some balance to Klopp’s side.
Enter Virgil van Dijk. While many assumed that van Dijk was signed as a result of the £142 million sale of Coutinho, the Reds’ admiration for the centre back was longstanding.
How would it have impacted the squad
Alongside a stabilised defence, Coutinho remaining at Liverpool would have provided them a creative outlet to complement their ‘workhorse-like' midfield.
For many years, Liverpool’s midfield under Klopp was void of any creativity, though the swashbuckling fullback duo of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson compensated heavily.
With Coutinho as the side’s chief creator, one could only assume that the development of Alexander-Arnold in particular would be curtailed.
Aside from the astounding cross-diagonal switch, the Brazilian maestro possessed all of the right-back’s attributes and then some.
Combined with his knack for a goal and the ability to create something out of nothing, Coutinho would have certainly given Salah a run for his money as the main man at Anfield.
Right place, wrong time?
There is little to indicate that Coutinho remaining at Liverpool would have scuppered their top 4 chances, however, their road to the 2018 Champions League final in Kiev is up for debate.
It was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who took Coutinho’s place in the side and played a vital part in their shock victory over Manchester City in the quarter finals, winning 5-1 on aggregate.
Had it not been for his cruciate ligament tear towards the end of April, Oxlade-Chamberlain was in un-droppable form, something that he never regained during his time at Anfield.
Furthermore, a frenetic semi-final tie with Roma may not have played to Coutinho’s strengths, as Klopp’s tireless midfield complemented his front three to get his side over the line.
A trophy laden career?
To determine the trajectory of the remainder of Philippe Coutinho’s career is rather difficult.
He was 25 when he joined Barcelona, meaning he would have played out his prime years at Anfield.
One would assume that a player like Coutinho would have proved a key difference in both of Liverpool’s unsuccessful title bouts with Man City, as well as their heartbreaking Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid in 2022.
While he would have merely widened the margin in which Liverpool won their first Premier League title in 2020, players such as Fabinho and Jordan Henderson were instrumental in their own right.
On an individual scale, his form for Liverpool made him a regular in the Brazilian national team, where he had the difficult task of trying to displace Neymar, who occupied his favoured positions.
However, Neymar’s well-documented injury struggles would have given Coutinho ample opportunity to write his own story for La Selecao.
Conclusion
Coutinho staying at Liverpool would have undoubtedly taken his career on an upward trajectory, as he lines up alongside the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah as one of the best players in the Premier League.
And Klopp’s ‘Liverpool 2.0’ has evidenced a creative midfielder’s ability to flourish playing his style of football despite having faltered in the latter stages of the 2023/24 season.
He would have gone on to become a Liverpool legend, much like Salah and van Dijk are now, but ultimately, £142 million was too good an offer to turn down.
Coutinho’s sale to Barcelona was seen as the turning point for FSG, spearheaded by Michael Edwards because it allowed the club to acquire even more prized assets.
This opportunity was actioned quickly, as Liverpool broke the transfer record for Alisson Becker, becoming the most expensive goalkeeper in the world at £67 million.
While many Liverpool fans have bemoaned FSG’s transfer policy over the years, they are now relishing the fruits of their labour, with their £300 million spending spree far from over this summer being traced back to the departure of Coutinho all those years ago.