4 reasons why Barcelona are strong contenders for UCL 2018/19

#3 Coutinho's desire to prove himself

Coutinho will become an important part of Barcelona

After prolonged negotiations lasting two transfer windows, Coutinho finally arrived at Barcelona from Liverpool, in a £142 million deal last January, making him the third-most most expensive player of all time behind Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

Despite initially struggling, Coutinho later settled into the team, and put in some match-winning performances as Barcelona wrapped up proceedings in their stroll towards league glory.

We all know what Philippe Coutinho is capable of, having witnessed his world class abilities in the Premier League with Liverpool, and it was on evidence of those performances that Barcelona shelled out such a huge amount to get him, as they saw him to be the long-term replacement for the aging Andres Iniesta.

Coutinho further reemphasized his prowess with a dominant World Cup performance, lifting Brazil in the place of the theatrical AWOL Neymar.

O Magico or the 'little magician' as he is fondly called had little influence in the Barcelona first team in his debut half-season, chiefly because the man he was to replace, the iconic Andres Iniesta was still very much in the picture, dictating play from midfield and creating spaces for his attacking teammates to explore.

The 34-year-old World Cup winner has however departed, leaving Barcelona for Vissel Kobe in Japan after a 22-year trophy-laden association with Camp Nou, so the coast is clear for Coutinho to fully become a mainstay in the Barcelona line-up.

Coutinho is yet to make a significant impact on the Champions League, having only a handful of appearances with Liverpool and Inter Milan, and the 26-year-old Brazilian international would be eager to stamp his authority on the biggest club stage where world class players deliver era-defining performances, and this will aid Barcelona mightily in their hunt for European glory.