Philippe Coutinho: I Moved To Barcelona To Win Trophies

So, how are you feeling Liverpool fans? Was that Philippe Coutinho wound in your heart just beginning to heal? Well, just in time, the Brazilian is back to rip that would wide open again with an interview to the Spanish media.

“[The transfer] wasn’t possible in the summer, but we worked so that it could be done in winter,” Coutinho said in an interview, presumably in parseltongue.

“I really want to win big titles, it was one of the reasons that made me sign for the club.

“I want to win as many as I can, I don’t have preferences.”

With La Liga essentially already wrapped up upon Phil’s arrival, he’ll receive at least one title this year. I hope he appreciates his winner’s medal that he did absolutely nothing to earn. And of course, as a member of one of two giants among a sea of Spanish minnows, he’ll likely help win a few more down the line.

This is all fine, and good. I understand wanting to win things.

However, as Liverpool fans we could rightfully question Phil about his Liverpool haul, which is at precisely zero. As one of Liverpool’s best players since his arrival in the winter of 2013, he was one of the most responsible for “pushing the train” as Herr Klopp might say.

Coutinho thinks Liverpool’s trophy drought reflects poorly on the club, but it reflects, at least partially, back on the player himself. The badge on the front of the shirt doesn’t win trophies, its players do. As a Liverpool player, you’re expected to help push the club to shiny things, and in this endeavor, Coutinho failed.

But instead of being one of the best at his club, as he was with Liverpool, he’s now just a cog in the machine. A machine that, due to the financial realities of La Liga, will win a fair few trophies while he’s there. He can play his football, and let others take on the burden of winning things for him. So, good on ya, Phil.