‘Coutinho has made the next step’ says Klopp

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says that Philippe Coutinho “has made the next step” in 2016. Coutinho has often been characterised as a talented, but inconsistent player, but the Liverpool boss insists that the 24-year old has added consistency to his game this year. In an interview with the Liverpool Echo, the Reds boss said, “In […]
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sambafoot_admin
2016-12-29 22:16:00

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says that Philippe Coutinho “has made the next step” in 2016. Coutinho has often been characterised as a talented, but inconsistent player, but the Liverpool boss insists that the 24-year old has added consistency to his game this year.

In an interview with the Liverpool Echo, the Reds boss said, “In 2016 he has made the next step, for sure. He has been very consistent. I think our style of play fits really well with him. We had a few talks about it.

“Of course, with Phil’s skills, everyone wants to give him the ball and wait for something special to happen. Then you think ‘Oh no, don’t shoot again’. But if I could shoot like he could shoot then I would try it all the time. It’s outstanding how good he is.

“When we spoke about it, I told him that he could help us more and we could help him more when we do very simple passing to create better situations and have the opportunity to finish in different kind of ways.

“That’s given us a real boost in terms of development. It took a little bit of responsibility off his shoulders so he could play more freely of expectations and pressures. All that stuff. He’s made a big, big step.”