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Philippe Coutinho is a hugely talented player, but for all his gifts, he needed to improve his consistency and productivity. The majority of 2015 saw him become a player less inclined to play through balls and more determined to cut inside before shooting. Granted Liverpool were struggling under Brendan Rodgers, but Coutinho was more predictable in his attacking play and sometimes made poor decisions in the final third.
Since Jürgen Klopp became Liverpool manager, Coutinho has been a key player but has recently shown greater variety in his play. He has retained his greater goalscoring threat of four shots per game but is looking for the runs of players much like he did in his first 18 months in a Liverpool shirt. Although it must be noted that this is the Liverpool FC Fans Player of the Year and Liverpool FC Players' Player of the Year for the past two seasons; there wasn't a desperate need to revive the player.
Memorable goals against Stoke City in the opening day of last season, Chelsea in the Klopp's first Premier League win, Manchester City in the League Cup final, and Manchester United in the Europa League showed his quality. Last season was also the first where the Brazilian international reached double figures in all competitions in his career. However, the 24-year-old's man of the match performance against Crystal Palace showed the very best of Philippe Coutinho—Liverpool's most talented player.
Liverpool's number ten pulled the strings drifting in from the left, popping up wherever and whenever to dictate the play. His close control, vision, decision-making, work ethic, awareness, and hunger for the ball combined to produce a wonderful display away to Crystal Palace. With the way Liverpool are playing and attacking under Klopp, there is no reason why a player of Coutinho's importance and ability cannot hit double figures in both goals and assists in the Premier League.
Crystal Palace had no answer to the Brazilian's skills as he linked up excellently with Roberto Firmino and anticipated the runs of Sadio Mané. Liverpool's jewel blinded his opponents at Selhurst Park and may have solved the problem with attacking corners. All in a day's work the club's resident magician.
Credit to the excellent MrBoywunder.