Philippe Coutinho an absolutely wonderful talent, gushes Brendan Rodgers
"He's a snip. He's an absolutely wonderful talent. he quality of his passing and the weight of his passes is sensational."
Brendan Rodgers has hailed Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho as an “absolutely wonderful talent”.
The Brazil international has hit form in 2014 after an injury-hit start to the season, scoring three goals and making four assists in 21 Premier League appearances.
His talent is remarkable. Every single day he does something that makes me think: ‘Wow, what a talent’
Brendan Rodgers
Coutinho was unable to help prevent Liverpool succumbing to a 2-1 loss to Arsenal in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday, but Rodgers was still efficient in his praise.
“He’s a snip. He’s an absolutely wonderful talent,” said Rodgers. “There are very few players at this level now that penetrate with a pass, that play through teams, and he puts teams on the back foot all the time.
“He doesn’t always get there. But the quality of his passing and the weight of his passes is sensational. And he’s a good guy as well.
“His talent is remarkable. Every single day he does something that makes me think: ‘Wow, what a talent’. If you go on to YouTube and see some of the little clips of him when he was young, 12 or 13, he’s exactly the same.
“He is in an environment, a coaching environment, where he can flourish. He’s come to a club that’s set up to try and maximise what you can get out of players and he’s obviously benefiting from it.
“What you see as well is that bit of steel he’s got. You watched him against Arsenal, the intensity of his pressing, and if you spoke to him he would say he’s really improved his defensive qualities too. Irrespective of his height, he has the physical strength to do that, the ability to press.”
