Why Philippe Coutinho Is Suddenly In Form Again After Flopping At Barça.

Philippe Coutinho is rolling back the years at Aston Villa. The former Liverpool midfielder was signed by Steven Gerrard. The former Rangers manager showed faith in his ex-teammate, and he is now reaping the rewards.

Since leaving Barcelona last month, Coutinho has been enjoying life back in the English Premier League. He has scored twice and also provided four assists for Aston Villa. So, how did a player who flopped at Barça suddenly regain so much confidence?

When Philippe Coutinho was at Liverpool, he was their talisman. At the peak of his powers at Liverpool, the Brazilian found joy being Liverpool’s most influential player. He was the go-to man when things didn’t go well.

However, when Coutinho got to Barcelona, there was no way he was ever going to have the on-field influence he had in Merseyside. Everything went through Lionel Messi. Coutinho’s first matches at Barça showed a player who tried to do things the way he did at Liverpool.

The Brazilian didn’t have the freedom he had at Liverpool. Also, Barcelona were not as dominant as they were before Phillipe Coutinho joined. The departure of Neymar left a hole in the team and they have had zero luck in replacing the PSG star since. Lack of freedom on the pitch, coupled with coaches who were under pressure to deliver, affected Coutinho’s time at Barcelona.

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Phillipe Coutinho Has Regained His Freedom At Aston Villa.

At Aston Villa, he is easily the go-to player when it comes to making a difference. He has immediately become their talisman. Also, he is now playing for a manager who understands him and believes in him, he never had that at Barcelona.

Now Villa have a player who can singlehandedly change outcomes of matches for them. His performance against Leeds yesterday shows he is enjoying his football again.

He will continue to gain confidence, and if Aston Villa decide to make the deal permanent in the summer, he will help take them to the next level.