Philippe Coutinho is uncovering himself on his return to English football. After leaving on loan to Astin Villa from FC Barcelona, the Brazilian is offering a great level for the team coached by Steven Gerrard, which is being translated into numbers: 4 goals and 3 assists since his arrival in January.
As a result of this improvement in his form, the Brazilian media outlet Globo Esportes wanted to speak with the former Liverpool or Inter player, among others, about Tite, the Qatar World Cup, his time at Barça and Bayern.
an eternal injury
Coutinho has suffered great frustration due to a knee injury that kept him out of play for 12 months divided into two different stages: “This is already complicated, but you can imagine when the initial forecast was 40 or 45 days” , Coutinho commented.
“It’s a process of ups and downs, patience and determination, which I’ve gone through to go back to doing what I love the most, always supported by my family and friends. Today I can happily say that that moment is behind us”, affirms a Coutinho who remembers all the bad times that occurred because of this stoppage of activity.
The selection has always thought of him
During the aforementioned period of injury, the medical team of the Brazilian team, and Tite’s medical team, regularly monitored the evolution of that knee, thinking of having the attacker on loan to Aston Villa in the medium and long term : “I feel respected, the entire medical and technical team was very attentive to me. I always felt comfortable in the Brazilian team and their attention to me is something that motivated me even more to want new achievements with this shirt.”
Brazil, candidate for everything for Coutinho
“If you ask outside of Brazil, I think you will hardly find someone who does not place Brazil among the candidates to win the next World Cup,” Coutinho replied to the question of whether he sees Brazil among the favorites to win the World Cup. World to be held at the end of the year.
The Brazilian player was also asked about the aspects to be improved by the national team ahead of the World Cup: “We have come from two years of good results, although there is always room for improvement, and our intention is to reach the final with the best possible level of the year,” he stated.
His time in Barcelona and his current situation
Coutinho, already speaking in the past tense about his stay at the club, comments on his unsuccessful time at Barça: “It’s hard to say what didn’t work, maybe some points of what you mentioned. I had good times there, but the sequence and the way of acting were factors that could have been different. It was time to move on”, explained the player, who has also been grateful to the club and its employees for the trust placed in him.
He also spoke about his loan at Bayern, which gave him a Champions League title: “A group with a lot of quality, one of the best teams in history for many. For me it was an honor and a source of pride to have been part of of this group and all that we have achieved.
The midfielder also had words for Gerrard and his arrival in England, which is proving to be an absolute success: “I think I have been adapting well to this return to English football. It is a championship that I know and I feel good playing”, explained the player, who shortly afterwards addressed the subject of receiving his coach, Steven Gerrard: “We had a conversation that made me feel very comfortable and motivated. He told me about the Villa project, about the objectives, about what he expected of me and it was something that I was looking too.”
Coutinho also spoke about his current state of form, and pointed out a curiosity about English football: “You can’t play in England without being in good physical shape”, argued a Coutinho who seems to have found his place in Birmingham.