French centre-back made long-awaited return from injury versus the Gunners…
We picked up a point against Arsenal on Sunday, thanks to Martin Skrtel’s injury time header which earned a 2-2 draw, having dominated the match.
Coutinho can thrive in this formation…
For us, the Brazilian was the best player on the park during Sunday’s draw. If he was more consistent in front of goal, we’d be looking at one of the best playmakers in the business. The 3-4-3 enables Coutinho a freer, more central role in the side, and it suits him perfectly. In the 4-3-3, he often has to play wide, which minimises his effectiveness, but because of the overlapping wing-backs (Jordan Henderson and Lazar Markovic on Sunday), Coutinho can collect the ball closer to goal. He bagged one, and having been similarly impressive against Bournemouth midweek, he should be one of the first names on the team-sheet while we’re using this formation.