BARCELONA (REUTERS) - Barcelona shelled out a club record €160 million (S$250 million) to prise Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool, yet one year on from his signing, the Brazilian is struggling to get a game while his former side are thriving in his absence.
Coutinho, the third most expensive player in the world behind Paris St Germain's Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, made a flying start to his Barcelona career with 10 goals in his first five months, giving the team a more direct outlet in midfield and an extra threat with his impressive long-range shooting.
But his impact has waned. He has failed to start any of the La Liga leaders' last three league games, falling behind Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal and French forward Ousmane Dembele in the pecking order.
Coach Ernesto Valverde has stopped short of publicly criticising the player, and neglected to say whether he had a preference for Coutinho or Dembele, the club's second most expensive acquisition at 105 million euros.
"It's a long way from being a problem having them both. It's an advantage," Valverde said last month.
"The coach is pro-Barca, he wants the team to win."
Valverde's recent team selections, however, may offer a clue to his thinking.
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There was no place for Coutinho when Valverde fielded an unorthodox 3-5-2 formation in the recent 5-0 hammering of Levante, while he also left the Brazilian out when playing his usual 4-3-3 shape in victories over Espanyol and Celta Vigo.
The coach did pick Coutinho for a visit to Rayo Vallecano in November, but when he saw his side losing 2-1 at one of the weakest teams in the top flight, he hauled off the Brazilian and later brought on Dembele, who scored as Barca pulled off a dramatic 3-2 victory.
In the last three league outings, Valverde has continued to show faith in Dembele, despite the French youngster running into trouble for turning up late to training.
With the lightning quick forward forming a blistering attacking trident with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, and the highly-experienced Vidal slotting comfortably into the midfield three, Coutinho has been forced to make do with cameo appearances from the bench.
It is quite the fall from grace for a player many believed was signed as the long-term successor to Andres Iniesta, who ended 16 trophy-laden seasons with Barca last May to see out his career in Japan.
With Liverpool sitting four points clear at the top of the Premier League, Coutinho may be wondering on Sunday's anniversary of his transfer from Anfield to the Nou Camp whether it was quite the dream move he had imagined at the time.
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Eden Hazard was anonymous once again and the lack of drive and purpose within the team after the half-time interval was embarrassingly obvious. This was a huge game for Chelsea, one that would have put them within two points of the top four had they won. But only one team had the hunger for the win after the break on Sunday and that was Spurs.
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Atletico spoil Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Madrid, Juve's UCL hopes. either side of the break, which seemed to have dealt a big blow to Atletico's chances. Just one goal in six European
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Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Madrid saw his Juventus side fall 2-0 to old foes Atletico. Getty. The biggest Ronaldo flashpoint came late in the opening period, when he rolled around dramatically on the turf after being kicked in an ankle by marker Juanfran.
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Football: Qatari goal machine Ali targets Europe move before 2022 World Cup ABU DHABI (REUTERS) - Almoez Ali brushed off a row about his eligibility to scoop an Asian Cup winner's medal and smash a 23-year-old scoring record on Friday (Feb 1), confirming that Qatar have a potential star in the making for when they host the 2022 World Cup.
Football: Singapore Premier League club Warriors barred from foreign hires by Ministry of Manpower for 2nd time Players of Warriors FC (in red, white and blue) in action against the Young Lions
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Birmingham hit with nine-point deduction after breaching financial rules Posted on March 22, 2019 by yasir kaneria in Football , Sports The Championship side broke the EFL's profitability and sustainability regulations and faced a possible 12-point deduction and a transfer ban.
Birmingham hit with nine-point deduction - Football Paradise
Players past and present have joined fans in paying tribute to England World Cup-winning goalkeeper Gordon Banks, who has died at the age of 81. The news of his passing was released by his family
Gordon Banks: World Cup-winning goalkeeper dies aged 81
Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has urged his fellow Paris Saint-Germain teammates to show "a spirit of sacrifice for the team" with Edison Cavani and Neymar out for the match against Manchester United.
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Thierry Henry was suspended by Monaco on Thursday and looked set to lose his job as coach after only three months in charge at the Ligue 1 club, with former manager Leonardo Jardim expected to
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May 30, 2019 · MILAN (AP) — Inter Milan coach Luciano Spalletti has left the Serie A club, with Antonio Conte expected to replace him in the next few days, something many reports indicated in the last week
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The legal purge in Norway after World War II took place between May 1945 and August 1948 against anyone who was deemed to have collaborated with the German occupation of the country. Several thousand Norwegians and foreign citizens were tried and convicted for crimes committed in Scandinavia during the Second World War. However, the scope
TOKYO (REUTERS) - Asian shares and Wall Street stock futures turned negative on Wednesday (Feb 27) after Pakistan said it had shot down two Indian jets in its territory, sending investors out of riskier markets and into more conservative choices such as the yen.
Ireland had an own goal by Joseph Chipolina and an injury-time header by substitute Robbie Brady to thank for a 2-0 win over Gibraltar in their Euro 2020 Group D qualifier on Monday.
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