Coutinho excels as Reds boost top-four chances
FOR THE SECOND successive week, Philippe Coutinho produced a moment of individual brilliance as his stunning second-half strike ensured Liverpool didn’t experience any European hangover.
The Brazilian playmaker, along with Jordan Henderson, didn’t travel to Turkey for Thursday’s second-leg with Besiktas and both looked re-energised at Anfield as they inspired the Reds’ to a crucial three points in the battle for Champions League football.
Coutinho’s superlative strike at Southampton last week was labelled by many as the goal of the season and while his curling effort today wasn’t as exquisite, his 75th minute winner was just as significant.
It capped off a stand-out performance from Coutinho as he stood head and shoulders above the multitude of stars in sky blue. He was at the heart of everything Liverpool did going forward as well doing his fair share of defensive work when the hosts weren’t in possession.
But it’s when he has the ball at his feet Coutinho is most effective. At just 22, his darting runs, quick feet and lethal right foot means Coutinho has all the attributes to develop into one of the top-flight’s best players.
City’s usually watertight defence had no answers. Operating in the No.10 berth, Brendan Rodgers gave Coutinho the freedom to pull the strings as he found pockets of space between the lines to cause the visitors untold damage.
What’s more, there are still aspects of Coutinho’s game that can be improved. Before today, he had lasted the 90 minutes just ten times in all competitions this season and many feel he needs to add more goals to his game if he is to be elevated into a truly world class operator.
Today he was class personified.
That Liverpool, in this day and age, paid just €11.7 million for the ‘little magician’ two years ago is an incredible piece of business. Afterwards Rodgers said: “It’s frightening to think what he’d be worth now.” The Reds boss won’t want to know either.
- Ryan Bailey
Big-game experience and defence the difference as Chelsea prevail
Ahead of today’s League Cup final, a quick glance at the two line-ups left you in no doubt as to which of the two teams were familiar with this kind of high-pressure environment.
As talented as they are, Tottenham’s big players — Jan Vertonghen, Christian Eriksen, Harry Kane — are not accustomed to matches of this proportion. By contrast, Petr Cech, John Terry, Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa have all been there and done it in terms of huge one-off games.
Similarly, Mauricio Pochettino has never won a trophy in his still relatively young managerial career, whereas Jose Mourinho must have lost count of the amount of silverware he has collected at this stage.
That factor, along with the two goals, both of which exposed a conspicuous sense of hesitance and lack of organisation in the Spurs defence, proved the main difference between the sides.
Chelsea, on the other hand, were immaculate at the back, with man-of-the-match John Terry’s perfectly timed challenge on Harry Kane inside the box late on epitomising their consistent defensive solidity.
- Paul Fennessy
Gunners return to winning ways after Monaco debacle
Arsenal were far from their best but did enough to see off an Everton side floundering dangerously close to the wrong end of the table. On the face of it, the 2-0 win was the perfect riposte to the humiliating and disastrous defeat to Monaco on Wednesday but the Gunners were evidently still hurting from the 3-1 reversal.
Olivier Giroud had more reason than most to make amends and silence his doubters. The French striker spurned a host of glorious opportunities during the week and continued in that same fashion today until a neat finish, low into the corner with his right foot, released the shackles and broke the deadlock.
In truth, Everton never really looked like getting back into the game as Roberto Martinez’s side, despite large periods of possession, looked hopelessly low on confidence and a shadow of the side that finished fifth last term – they now lie just six points above the relegation zone.
They had chances, most notably through Romelu Lukaku and substitute Aaron Lennon, but after dispatching Young Boys in the Europa League, the Toffees took another step backwards as their woeful league form continued.
For Arsenal, they remain in prime position to finish inside the top-four but the murmurings of discontent around the Emirates are still noticeable.
- Ryan Bailey
Pressure on Pellegrini mounts
We’ve only just entered the month of March and already Manchester City, the defending champions, face the prospect of having nothing to play for in the remaining couple of months of the campaign.
The midweek defeat to Barcelona means they face an uphill, some would say impossible, task going to the Nou Camp in arrears while today’s slip-up at Anfield means they remain five points behind Chelsea having played a game more.
It may be premature to declare the title race as a foregone conclusion now but you can’t help but feel that when all is said and done, we could very well look back on this result as one of the defining ones in the season.
City now have the distinct possibility of following up last year’s title success with a trophy-less campaign after being dumped out of the Capital One Cup and FA Cup by lower league opposition.
Of course, they could still turn their Champions League Last 16 tie around but on today’s evidence, they’ll find it difficult to nullify the threat of Suarez, Messi and co. let alone scoring the two away goals required at the other end.
It’s no coincidence Vincent Kompany’s poor run of form has gone hand-in-hand with City’s wobbles. The Belgian defender, usually so solid and reliable, endured another forgettable day at Anfield as Coutinho and Sterling ran rings around him.
After just 11 minutes, the City captain was embarrassed by Coutinho in the build-up to the game’s opening goal. His manager had admitted the pair held a formal discussion about his form following the erratic performance during the defeat to Barcelona but another mistake in a high-profile game leaves serious question marks over his standing in the team.
Kompany’s height, ability to read the game, pace and calmness in possession has made him one of the best defender’s in Europe but his risky style of play, when he attempts to out-muscle and dispossess opponents by rushing out of defence, is a gamble that is no longer paying off.
Hamstring and groin injuries haven’t helped his cause as he continues to look off the pace. There is no doubt Kompany is just going through a slump but he desperately needs to be pulled out of the firing line.
- Ryan Bailey
Tottenham look jaded
Until recently, it was looking set to become a special season for Spurs. At the start of February, their 2-1 win over Arsenal had many tipping them for a top-four spot.
However, as so often seems to happen with Tottenham, it’s all begun to unravel since then. Following their triumphant defeat of the Gunners, they are now without a win in five matches in all competitions.
Their decision to field a weakened team amid their Europa League exit at the hands of Fiorentina last Thursday looks ill-advised in hindsight, following today’s loss.
While Chelsea have had a heavy enough fixture schedule to deal with, Tottenham have played more competitive games than any other Premier League side this season.
And while Jose Mourinho’s men tend to adopt a calm approach, taking games in stages and pragmatically conserving energy when necessary, Spurs rely on an especially high-intensity approach.
With stars such as Christian Eriksen barely being given a rest since the start of the campaign, you consequently have to wonder whether this energetic style is finally beginning to catch up with the White Hart Lane outfit, thus prompting their considerable dip in form of late.
- Paul Fennessy
