Monthly Archives: January 2013

Enrique: Liverpool can beat Manchester City

Liverpool defender Jose Enrique believes his side can win their upcoming clash with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium if they emulate their performance in Wednesday’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal.

The Reds had carved out a two-goal lead by the hour mark at the Emirates Stadium thanks to Luis Suarez and Jordan Henderson but let that slip as Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott earned the Gunners a point.

But the Spaniard, who made his return from injury with a 20-minute run-out in north London, is confident Brendan Rodgers’ side can improve on the result.

“I think when you get a draw away at Arsenal it is a good result for the team, but we were 2-0 up and I thought we deserved more,” he told the club’s official website.

“We played very well in the first half and had some chances to increase our score and were a little bit unlucky.



“In the second half they pressed us and made it difficult for us and both sides had chances, but it was a great game and in the end it’s not a bad result.

“We have another very important game at Manchester City on Sunday and I think if we can play like we did on Wednesday night then we can win it.

“There is a long way to go in the race for the top-four and if we can take four points from these two games that would be fantastic.

“We won there last season in the Carling Cup and there’s no reason why we can’t do it again.”

The 27-year-old is now keen to regain a starting place after recovering from a hamstring injury which has kept him out since the 3-0 win over QPR on December 30.

He added: “It feels good to be back and I felt okay and tried to get forward as much as I could.
 I just want to prove my fitness quickly now and help the team.”

Suarez planning to stay at Liverpool for a ‘very long time’

Liverpool forward Luis Suarez has revealed that he plans to stay at the club for “a very long time”.

The Uruguay international scored his 18th league goal of the season during the Reds’ 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Wednesday night, taking his tally to 22 for the campaign in all competitions.

And, despite routinely courting controversy during his two-year stay in England so far, Suarez insists he has never contemplated leaving Liverpool.
“I hope [to be at Liverpool] for a very long time because it’s a massive club that kids dream about playing for,” Suarez told the club’s official website.

“I’ve been very proud to be at a club like Liverpool and to have made the decision to come here. In two years I’ve lived through some spectacular and very special moments that I will never, ever forget.

“There have been a few difficult times as well, but with the support of my family, the club and the fans, things have gone well for me.

“I do feel at home here. When I’m out and about, all I get is support and encouragement from the local people and that’s very important, and when I come here to the club I feel like people have known me all my life. That also helps a great deal to making me feel so at home.

“I hope to be able to help out the team for as long as I possibly can while trying do something to make the club and the fans very happy.”

Liverpool currently sit in seventh place in the Premier League table, seven points behind fourth-placed Tottenham.

From wonderkid to unwanted goods – what went wrong for Coutinho at Inter?

ANALYSIS
By Kris Voakes | Italian Football Writer

Inter were not always of the belief that Philippe Coutinho was better off away from San Siro. Back in 2008, he was seen as a huge coup when the Nerazzurri landed his signature at the age of just 16 for a €3.5 million fee. Yet now, the Brazilian is headed for the Premier League and Liverpool with the Italian club’s best wishes.

Although they could not make use of their new signing until he turned 18, there was a great deal of satisfaction around Appiano Gentile when Inter persuaded Vasco da Gama to part with his economic rights two years before his eventual move to Europe. Coutinho had developed such a reputation while making his way through the Vasco youth ranks that it was seen in no way as a gamble, despite his age and the fact they would have to wait 24 months before he could pull on the blue and black in a competitive fixture.

But things have not exactly gone to plan since Coutinho arrived in Italy, with Inter going as far as to persuade the player that a move away from the club is for the best as they looked to cash in on the €11m Liverpool offered.

After a promising initial spell in Rafael Benitez’s six-month reign, the 20-year-old has found it difficult to find a regular spot in the side. Even under the Spaniard, the attacking midfielder was regularly forced to play on the left of a 4-2-3-1 simply to get into the team, but things have only grown more difficult for him under the subsequent coaching spells of Leonardo, Gian Piero Gasperini, Claudio Ranieri and Andrea Stramaccioni. There have been occasional sights of a first-team shirt, but not since Benitez was in charge has Coutinho started more than two league fixtures in succession.

TWO DIFFERENT PLAYERS | Coutinho since 2010
39 TOTAL APPEARANCES 16
20 TOTAL STARTS 14
1,777 TOTAL MINUTES PLAYED 1,222
28 LEAGUE APPEARANCES 16
15 LEAGUE STARTS 14
1,320 LEAGUE MINUTES PLAYED
1,222
4 GOALS 5
444.3 MINUTES PER GOAL
244.4
3 ASSISTS 1

Sergio Chesi, Goal.com Italy’s deputy editor, explains why things have not worked out for Countinho in a Nerazzurri shirt.

“Coutinho has been unlucky at Inter, for many reasons,” explains Sergio. “The first is because he arrived immediately after the club had won the treble, when they began going through the difficulties they are still experiencing to this day. It was hard for a youngster to find himself thrust into such a problematic situation.

“Not since Benitez was in charge has Coutinho started more than two league fixtures in succession

“Then there were the frequent physical problems he suffered, showing certain limitations as he grew, and also the fact he never really gave the impression that he had the personality to make the difference at the very highest levels, nor the physical attributes to have a say in the Italian championship. Personally, I am amazed that Liverpool are spending such a sum of money on a player who has offered so little in Serie A.”

So why are the Reds taking such a gamble? Well, during his loan spell with Espanyol in the second half of the 2011-12 season, Coutinho revelled in the freedom he was given, attracting a whole host of great reviews in the process. The only fixture in which he did not feature during his spell in Barcelona was one for which he was suspended after seeing red against Osasuna. Such was his form in the blue and white shirt, he scored more goals in four months in Spain than he has during his entire spell with Inter.

That stat is less surprising when you look at the fact he started 14 league games for the Periquitos compared to 15 in two-and-a-half years at San Siro. Given the chance to prove himself over a long period, Coutinho spread his wings and made a real impression. It is an unavoidable fact that the Brazilian has not produced any kind of consistency at Inter, but how can he be expected to do so when he has not been picked with any consistency either?

It is often said of skillful players that teams can struggle to locate them a spot in which they can truly show their best football, and that has never been more true than in the case of Inter and Coutinho. A player of undoubted qualities on the ball, great pace, a sure eye for a pass and impressive composure for a youngster, he is the latest talent to be lost at the Nerazzurri.

And if he excels on Merseyside, then a succession of Inter coaches past and present may well be left to answer a few difficult questions as to why he was not given the chance to show just how good he can be.

Follow Kris Voakes on