Future can be great for Liverpool says star man Coutinho
But as the team prepare to measure their progress against league leaders Leicester City today, midfielder Philippe Coutinho still sees reasons for optimism.
Just the fact that Leicester, bottom of the table at this time last year, are leading the pack — against all odds and all predictions — should be enough to give Liverpool fans confidence anything is possible.
Measuring how far they have come so far, however, is more complicated.
Klopp has now been in charge for two months since the sacking of Brendan Rodgers and there are certainly signs of improvement in the energy levels and organisation of the team, buoyed by a spectacular 4-1 win at Manchester City which highlighted what the squad is capable of together with a 6-1 Capital One Cup quarter-final win at Southampton.
But there have also been some miserable performances, notably a 3-0 defeat at Watford last week, which have led to suggestions the squad is simply not good enough to take Liverpool where they want to go.
The January transfer window provides the first opportunity to put that right and it wouldn’t be a total surprise if Klopp looked enviously at today’s opponents Leicester, for whom Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kante have been three of the best players in the Premier League this season, providing the kind of cutting edge that Liverpool often lack.
“Vardy has enormous quality,” admitted Coutinho, who has been comfortably Liverpool’s top performer.
“For me he is able to play for any big club in England, he’s very dangerous. It’s interesting because the race for the Premier League title is very open. Arsenal, City and United all have big chances. But you cannot forget Leicester. If they continue to play like they are doing then they are serious candidates.”
No-one, yet, is placing Liverpool in that category — they currently sit ninth in the table and 14 points adrift of Leicester, who have also scored 17 more goals than the Anfield giants (although Liverpool have two fewer in the ‘goals against’ column, an indication that their defence is not as porous as some pundits have claimed).
Coutinho, however, has not totally given up the ghost, saying: “I don’t think Liverpool are out of it but we cannot afford to lose any of our next matches. Any error, any dropped point, means less chances for the title race.
“Right now the target in the Premier League is just to improve our position in the table and to fight to get into the top four. Look at the size of this club, we need to be back in the Champions League.”
Realistically even the top four could prove a challenge given the improving form of Arsenal and Tottenham, the ability of Manchester City and Manchester United to spend big in January — and even the continued rise of Leicester who were in the Championship when Coutinho first arrived at Anfield in 2013 but whose quick-fire brand of football on the break has been a breath of fresh air this season.
But the long-term goals remain in place and Coutinho is hopeful they can be met.
“Of course we want to do more,” he said. “ Liverpool is a big club that is always is obliged to fight for the best places in the table. This season I would say we still haven’t developed our best game and that’s led to a change in management.
The Reds train ahead Leicester City's visit to Anfield on Boxing Day. #LFC pic.twitter.com/3nPViUEa93
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 24, 2015
“But I sincerely believe it is possible to improve our level. We still we have time to make up for our bad start and to climb the table. It can still be a good season for us. As players we are determined to give the new manager maximum support. Jurgen Klopp wants all the group to be together and to be strong together. That’s very important. That’s what we are giving him.”
Despite some alarming results — as well as the defeat at Watford there was also a 2-0 reverse at lowly Newcastle and a home defeat against Crystal Palace — Klopp has been well received at Liverpool, not only by his own supporters but by the wider football community who can see he is the kind of down to earth, inspirational character that any player would enjoy playing for.
“He gives the players a lot of confidence and he’s open to listening to the players as well, he wants to bring the team together,” said Coutinho.
“He was very clear from the very first minute. What he and his staff said is that Liverpool has to be a team and that all the group are responsible together for victories and for defeats. This is a special club that is about style, pride and spirit. That’s what we want to show.”
It’s a big challenge to live up to that motto, especially today against a vibrant Leicester side who are so dangerous in the final third even when feeding only on scraps of possession; but it’s one that could underpin a Liverpool revival in the long term.
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