View: Time for Aston Villa midfielder Phillipe Coutinho to revive past form
Aston Villa midfielder Phillipe Coutinho will be looking to revive his scintillating form from the past in his first full season at Villa Park.
The Brazilian made his loan move to the Villans permanent over the summer, with the Midlands club paying a reported £17m for his services. [Sky Sports]
After signing initially on loan from Barcelona, and making his debut as a substitute in a 2-2 draw against Manchester United in January 2022, he has now scored four goals and provided three assists for the club.
However, he will need to revive his past form and get back to his creative and technical best, to bring life back to Villa Park and elevate his team in the coming season.
The Old Coutinho v The New Coutinho
Premier League fans will remember all too well what prime Coutinho was capable of, back in his Liverpool days, and Villa fans will be pleading for that player to return.
At his best, Coutinho was unplayable, with mesmerizing long-range piledrivers, audacious nutmegs, and playmaking of the highest quality.
However, after moving to Barcelona in the summer of 2018 for a blockbuster fee, an unsatisfactory couple of years followed him, and he will be eager to become the player he once was again.
Last season, Coutinho produced a goal or assist every 2.3 games, however in the 2017-18 season, that goal contribution rate was an absurd 1.2 games. [FBRef]
His 15 goals and 11 assists made him one of the Premier League’s most in-demand players and the seven goals and three assists that he recorded for Barcelona and Villa last season shows a player that has not been himself for several years now.
Nowadays, he is taking 1.6 times as fewer shots, creating 50% fewer goal-creating actions, and attempting 2.3 times fewer dribbles than he was in the 2017-18 season. [FBRef]
There were hints of his brilliance during his loan spell, especially during the draw against Manchester United.
However, Steven Gerrard will be looking to the 30-year-old to carry the attacking and creative mantle for his team and get back to his best, because as we all know, Philippe Coutinho at full flow, is simply a joy to watch.
In other Aston Villa news, Carney Chukwuemeka has left the club to join Chelsea.