Barcelona opinion: Should the Catalans let go of Phillipe Coutinho?

According to a report from ESPN, Barcelona are set to sell Phillipe Coutinho after their humiliating defeat at Anfield.

The Brazilian was one among the many who was off-colour against his former club, resulting in a shock 4-0 defeat, despite winning the first leg 3-0.

Coutinho’s underwhelming season with Barca

The Catalans bought Coutinho for a sumptuous price of €160million from Liverpool last season.

Though the winger sparkled at the beginning, questions were raised after a string of horrible performances.

Philippe Coutinho has never been in the best shape since his move from Liverpool

And the stats were evident, as the former Espanyol player struggled to make his mark at Camp Nou. In fact, he has only bagged 11 goals and 2 assists in 51 appearances this season, which are underwhelming stats for his standards.

An attacking midfielder by tradition, Coutinho couldn’t embrace the new role of a winger implemented by Ernesto Valverde.

Furthermore, the 26-year-old is not a popular figure among the Camp Nou fans as they constantly show their hostility whenever he comes to the field.

Selling Coutinho – a good move?

Given the prevailing situation, Barca should really look for contingencies rather than sticking around Coutinho and the inconsistent Ousmane Dembele.

The French winger, despite being a fan-favourite and making a promising start to the season, has constantly struggled due to the recurring injury issues.

Lione Messi’s brilliant season dampened by insufficient support from his team-mates

Lionel Messi, Barca’s talisman, has been in sublime form like previous seasons. But the lack of support from the forwards has really marred his brilliance and further withered the hopes of clinching the Champions League title.

Conclusion

It is evident that the La Liga title winners have to revamp their current side after what they witnessed on Tuesday night.

This will provide room for the up and coming youngsters from the reserves side, as well some of the promising players in the world who want Camp Nou as their next destination. Barca have to make use of this situation by selling their unsuccessful players.