It looks like a fresh start was all that Philippe Coutinho needed to get back to his best. If not, just check out his stats in his first games at Aston Villa: two goals and two assists in three Premier League appearances.
The Brazilian star made a loan move to Villa Park in January after failing to turn up his game at Barcelona. Coutinho was given chances under Ronald Koeman but he never made the best of them, and when Xavi arrived he dropped in the pecking order.
The truth, however, is that he never lived up to the expectations that were around him when Barca splashed $148.50m to sign him from Liverpool. But now that he's back in England, Coutinho is showing his talent again and Steven Gerrard explained the reasons behind his improvement.
Aston Villa boss Gerrard explains the reasons behind Coutinho's performances
Aston Villa not only meant a great option for Coutinho to revitalize career but also to reunite with former Liverpool teammate Steven Gerrard, who is now at the helm of the Villans.
“He was desperate to come back to the Premier League and we’ve given him everything he needs to go out there and perform," Gerrard said, as quoted by The Athletic. Besides the player's motivation, Gerrard believes Coutinho's physical improvement has also allowed him to make an impression.
"The key thing was to get him up to speed from a physical point of view and we’re still working on that. He can get fitter and stronger and he will do with more training and games," he said.
But Gerrard also says that Coutinho is happier now and that allows him to go out and deliver great performances. “Then it was about getting him enjoying his football again, being around the boys, smiling and looking forward to playing. You can see in his performance that he feels this is his stage again.”
