Boss: Coutinho hasn't changed since futsal
Philippe Coutinho is ducking and weaving between players with the same guile he demonstrated on the futsal courts of Brazil as a youngster, according to his manager, Brendan Rodgers.
The midfielder has been in scintillating form for the Reds of late, serving up another match-winning display against Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday.
Aside from being his usual elusive self - skipping beyond sky blue shirts and sliding passes between the City lines - he also conjured perhaps the most magical moment of the Reds' current campaign so far.
Stepping in from the left flank, Coutinho unleashed an unstoppable strike beyond Joe Hart to send Kopites into ecstasy and clinch a 2-1 triumph in the Barclays Premier League.
Rodgers spoke of his admiration for the playmaker, as he drew comparisons between the boy who can be seen on YouTube, flaunting his futsal skills, and the man who has come up with the goods so consistently this season.
"What he gives to the team, he offers that gold dust to how we play," said the manager. "He's a wonderful player.
"If you see his videos on YouTube, playing futsal when he was 11 or 12 in Brazil, he's playing the same game now only as an adult.
"We knew he had ability, it was just about trusting that ability and allowing it to grow."
Coutinho's qualities took him from Vasco de Gama in his hometown of Rio De Janiero to Inter Milan, from where, after a brief loan spell at Spanish outfit Espanyol, he made the switch to Liverpool in January 2013.
His creative powers were on show almost from the start, with a goal on his full debut against Swansea City followed up by a handful of impressive assists in games against Wigan Athletic, Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Fulham.
The 2013-14 campaign saw the forward go from strength to strength; however, this season Coutinho has arguably gone to a whole new level, adding a ruthlessness in front of goal to his already stunning skillset.
"I'd seen him play with [Samuel] Eto'o and [Wesley] Sneijder in big games [at Inter] and he was just the type of player I love," said Rodgers.
"He has a beautiful arrogance on the ball, his touch is magical but he's effective and efficient with it and playing here at Liverpool, with the dynamics of how we want to work, is perfect for him."
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