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Heralded as the natural successor to Andres Iniesta, there was widespread jubilation amongst fans of Barcelona upon the completion of the signing of Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool in January 2017, never mind it being for a club record sum.
The Brazilian had wowed in the Premier League with Liverpool for five seasons and it was believed that he would bring his array of tricks and excellent technique with him to Nou Camp, making an already frighteningly good Barcelona midfield almost unmatchable.
It began well enough for the 26-year-old, with him scoring 10 goals from 22 appearances in his first half season with the Catalans and it was believed that it could only get better once he fully settled into the team.
As it happened, those hopes have not been lived up to, as the Brazilian has found himself out of the starting lineup in recent weeks, having to settle on the bench instead before coming on for the last few minutes of matches.
Coutinho's last goal came way back at the tail end of October when he opened the scoring in Barcelona's 5-1 pounding of archrivals Real Madrid in the El Clasico. He was also highlighted as one of the players who would help Barcelona thrive after Messi was ruled out through injury, but he watched on as a bystander as former Liverpool teammate Luis Suarez ran the show.
So far this season, the midfielder has scored just five goals from 23 matches in all competitions which is a far cry from the output expected from him. In this piece, we would be taking a look at four reasons why Coutinho is struggling to find his feet at Barcelona at the moment.
#4 His price tag
With €120m expended to get his signature from Liverpool, Barcelona made Philippe Coutinho the third most expensive player of all time, as well as the costliest player in the illustrious history of Barcelona.
With such hefty price tag comes an added expectation, as fans and the media expect you to be the goal scorer, provider and even defender all at once, leading to such immense pressure on the shoulders of such players that they sometimes struggle to live up to the levels expected of them.
Barcelona is one of the biggest clubs in the world, having produced some of the greatest players of all time and being more expensive than any of the great players to have donned the famous colours of the Blaugrana brings with it an added pressure with the microscopic view of the world watching your every move.
History is littered with extremely talented players who fell off the radar upon completing a high profile expensive move and perhaps, the pressure to live up to his substantially hefty transfer fee could be having an adverse effect on Coutinho as he attempts to justify his price tag.
Also see : Copa America Schedule, Copa America Standings
#3 Stiff competition for places
The Barcelona midfield over the last decade has been one of the greatest in the history of football, with Xavi and Iniesta holding it down in the middle in a manner which only a few (if any) have done before them.
Even after the departure of the iconic pair, Barcelona still boasts substantial talent in the middle of the pack, with Rakitic and Sergio Busquets among the best in the world in their respective positions.
Added to the sure starter pair mentioned above is the latest maestro form Brazil, the 22-year-old Arthur Melo who was signed in the summer from Gremio and has slotted in seamlessly to the Barcelona midfield, with many including the icon himself comparing him to the legendary Xavi.
Also, factor in Arturo Vidal who was brought in from Bayern in the summer and adds grit, steel and industry to the Barca midfield and you find out that breaking into the starting lineup as a midfielder at Barcelona is no mean feat even for a player of Coutinho's considerable talents.
#2 His injury problems
The scourge of any player, injuries are highly unwanted and have the potential to end the career of a player no matter how promising or talented.
However, despite all the precautionary measures taken against them, the contact nature of football means that injuries are very much a sad reality in the life of professional footballers, ranging from minor which could be recovered from in a few weeks to potentially career-ending injuries.
Since arriving at Barcelona, Coutinho has been plagued by his fair share of injuries, starting from the moment when he underwent his medicals which showed that he had a thigh strain which delayed his debut for three weeks.
His next injury came at the most inconvenient time, as he ruptured his hamstring in the Champions League clash with Inter Milan, which ruled him out for three weeks and the Brazilian has found himself out of the first team since then.
The intensely competitive nature of the Barcelona squad means that starting spots are at a premium and players must make the most of every opportunity afforded them or lose their shirts and Coutinho found this out the hard way thanks to in small measure to his untimely injury.
#1 The resurgence of Dembele
Barcelona's former record signing. Dembele was signed in the summer of 2017 as the direct replacement for Neymar having impressed significantly for Dortmund in the Bundesliga in his sole season there.
It was always going to be a tough call to fill in the boots of the Brazilian, much less when you're so young and at such a price tag and this added to the fact that Dembele suffered a horrific injury just months into his Barca sojourn meant that fans of the Catalan giants did not get to see the best of the Frenchman in his debut season.
The controversial arrival of Malcom from Bordeaux in the summer further increased the speculation that Dembele was on his way out, but the 21-year-old stayed on, determined to fight for his Barcelona future.
The season began well enough for him, with him netting the winner in the Spanish Super Cup against Sevilla, as well as scoring in three consecutive La Liga matches and netting a worldie in the 4-0 trouncing of PSV in the UCL.
However, it soon went downhill for Dembele as he faced accusations of indiscipline and received multiple fines for either not turning up for training or appearing late, with teammates and coaches weighing in on his poor dietary choices as well as his disciplinary issues.
In a remarkable turn of events, Dembele's performances have improved since then, scoring a vital equalizer at the death in a crunch La Liga clash away to Atletico while also scoring a beautiful solo goal in the 1-1 UCL draw with Tottenham.
His form over the last few weeks have been too good to ignore, such that Ernersto Valverde has thrust him into the starting lineup, ditching his preferred 4-4-2 formation to a 4-3-3 which could accommodate Dembele on the left-flank.
The result of this switch has been that Coutinho was the player sacrificed for Dembele, with the Brazilian being the player called upon to replace the Frenchman in the dying embers of the game and for as long as Dembele continues with his wonderful trajectory, Coutinho might continue to find himself out of the starting lineup.
