Xavi: Coutinho Needs to Ignore Barca Rumors

Xavi knows a thing or two about living in the moment and winning trophies. The diminutive midfielder made over 500 appearances for Barcelona, winning the Champions League on four separate occasions. And he earned 133 caps for the Spanish national team, helping them to create the most dominant national team the world has ever seen, winning two European Championships and one World Cup from 2008-2012. All told, he’s earned a staggering 28 major honors.

Now, Xavi decided wade into the murky waters of the current transfer rumor surrounding Philippe Coutino and his former club. Although he’s full of praise for Coutinho, he’s not convinced that it is in Phil’s best interest to leave Liverpool at the moment.

“When you play at the level he is there is always going to be talk, but for now he needs to ignore all that and stay focused, because I think Liverpool have a real chance this season,” Xavi explained in an interview with Goal.com.

“Coutinho is a player I have always thought is special - but under Klopp he has gone up another level. On form there are not any better midfield players in Europe.

“He has always shown quality but now he is consistently playing well and that is good news for Liverpool if they want to really challenge for the title.

“He is playing under one of the most intelligent coaches in Europe. Klopp has a lot of experience at developing world-class players, so it is a good club for him to be at.”

Xavi is clearly in favor of our magical unicorn and pug enthusiast accomplishing great things at Liverpool this season, but equally he seems excited about the prospect of him coming to Barcelona in the near future.

“There are not many players that can improve Barcelona, but if you are asking me if he is one of them, on this form, I think he is. Technically he is very good. He would suit Barcelona’s philosophy well.”

So, who knows what that really means for Liverpool and Coutinho, but hopefully Phil wants to continue scoring all the goals with the side currently topping the Premier League in a season that could shape up to be a very special one.