Coutinho: Confident Reds are ready for Leicester

The Reds will return to action at the King Power Stadium some 16 days after their last outing - an impressive 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield.

The dominant nature of their performance against Spurs represented a welcome boost for a Liverpool team who had won just one of their previous 10 matches since the turn of the year. 

Coutinho revealed there has been a significant improvement in the mood within Jürgen Klopp’s squad over the last fortnight, and he wants them to use their display against Tottenham as a template for the remainder of the season.

“It was a very difficult and very important game, and we won,” the No.10 told Liverpoolfc.com.

“We were coming from a winless run, a complicated moment. We lacked a little confidence and we have regained that confidence. 

“The team started playing well again, the way we had played, so we have to look at this game as an example to follow for the next games.”

Coutinho admitted to feeling mildly frustrated at having to wait 16 days for another match following the win over Mauricio Pochettino’s men, but the 24-year-old explained that Liverpool have taken full advantage of the extra time available to them on the training pitch.

“Yes, it’s difficult to not play for some time because we see others and we want to play so we can achieve our results that we need at the end of this season,” he said.

“But it was also important because we had enough time together to work well as a team, and we had two full weeks of training, so that’s important to us as well.”

Reigning champions Leicester are enduring a testing run of form domestically and parted company with manager Claudio Ranieri on Thursday.

But while acknowledging that the Foxes’ predicament towards the bottom of the division may make them a dangerous opponent, Coutinho is determined to build on the Reds’ win over Tottenham.

“Leicester are last season’s champions, so they have a lot of quality. There are very good players there, so it’s sure to be a difficult game,” he added.

“Every game in the Premier League is difficult, all teams are well prepared, and so we have to be well prepared.

“It’s very important for us [to follow up the victory against Spurs]. I think that, in our situation, all the coming games will be of equal importance.

“We have to get on the field 100 per cent focused and try to do the same as we did in the game with Tottenham.”

Something Coutinho is eager to avoid is a repeat of Liverpool’s last away game, which also came against a team fighting for survival and ended in a 2-0 defeat.

“[We can learn] that we have to be focused from the first minute. We were not 100 per cent focused in the Hull game. I do not know why, sometimes it happens,” he said.

“In the second half, we came back better but, of course, in the Premier League if a team plays a first or second half badly, it becomes complicated. 

“What we have to try to do is the same as we did in the game with Tottenham. That game should serve as an example - [we have to] play well from the first minute.”

Should the Reds maintain that level of performance, Coutinho is optimistic they can achieve their primary objective of finishing the season in the top four.

“From the start, the aim was to qualify for the Champions League,” he insisted.

“It is important for Liverpool to play in these competitions, fighting with the other great teams, and of course we have not given up anything. We expect to give great performances and to accomplish our goals.”