Coutinho: My FA Cup dream
Philippe Coutinho will step out at Wembley for the first time on Sunday with a burning desire to inspire Liverpool to FA Cup glory.
The Brazilian star has netted priceless strikes in the competition so far including stunning winners against Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers, and he would love find the net on Sunday on one of the biggest stages in English football.
Aston Villa are the path between Liverpool reaching the national stadium again for the showpiece final in May, and Coutinho insists the Reds are hungry for success.
"The FA Cup has been good to me this season," Coutinho told the Liverpool Echo.
"I have scored some goals but I want to get better because I need to get better. Scoring goals is one of the things that I need to do better because a player in my position must do that.
"For us, the most important thing is go to this semi-final, win it, and participate in the final.
"I'm quite anxious to play at Wembley because it's a ground with wonderful history and I have never played there. This will be my first time and I will be really honoured to play at a stadium with such fantastic history.
"It would be very important for me to win the cup here, not only for me, but for the club as a whole. That would be a massive achievement."
Coutinho insists there in no added pressure on Liverpool, despite Brendan Rodgers' side being deemed favourites amongst the neutrals to return for the May final.
He added: "Our aim is always to start the season thinking of winning titles and trophies.
"Fortunately, the Champions League is not out of reach yet mathematically, there are still possibilities, even though it is not 100 per cent in our hands. But we're in the semi-finals of a great competition and will do our best to win the trophy. It matters a lot to us as a club.
"It's very difficult when people think we're favourites. Games like this are always difficult if you think like that. We have to start well. We have to concentrate on ourselves and play as well as we can to achieve what we want."
Liverpool's No.10 this week was nominated for the prestigious PFA Players' Player of the Year award in recognition of his excellent form this season.
He was also nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award, alongside club colleague Raheem Sterling on the six-man list.
One played to vote for Coutinho to win the PFA Players' Player of the Year award was Chelsea captain John Terry, who recently appeared at Anfield in the All-Star Charity match.
He added: "I was really pleased when I heard that news because it was coming from such a great player as John Terry.
"It was wonderful and pleases me a lot. Who did I vote for? That's a secret."
Coutinho sets high standards for himself and admits he is eager to keep on improving and become world-class, like friend and Kop hero Luis Suarez.
He added: "I am not saying I need to be like Luis because each player has their own way of playing, but I always try to improve.
"Luis - what he did for Barcelona against PSG this week was amazing - and it is incredible what he can do as a footballer. I want to get better.
"I like the responsibility and I love the way the Liverpool fans treat me, the way the staff look after me.
"But on the pitch I try not to think too much about things like that, just to perform as best as I can in order for the rewards to be shared amongst us.
“When you see the manager trusts you and gives you a lot of confidence it makes you play even better. It makes your football flow better than usual. Trust and confidence from above is always good for a player.”
