4) Play centrally.
This is, of course, not an improvement the player himself can make – rather a decision his manager can make to maximise Coutinho. Make no bones about it – the playmaker is best deployed centrally. From here, with pace on either side of him, and pace in front of him – his mesmeric ability will be best utilised. He can feed the wings, play through-balls, dribble through the middle, drop into midfield and intercept possession, become the focal point of counter-attacks and find space in between the opposition midfield and defence. Coutinho’s been excellent in the 3-4-3 this term, but this limits the number of players he really has to pass to – and also means he has defensive covering duties towards the left flank. Coutinho can become the best footballer in the Premier League if he’s given a free licence to perform in his best position. He’s so good, that it wouldn’t be entirely stupid to build the team around him once Steven Gerrard departs to LA Galaxy.
Using only players already in our squad, we’ve drafted a variety of the 4-3-3 (or is it a 4-2-3-1?) formation which best suits Coutinho’s strengths.
