Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has revealed that he helped turn Brazilian star Philippe Coutinho to the star he is after he told him to play freely and express himself.
The former Borussia Dortmund and Mainz 05 boss was speaking in a chat with Liverpool Echo as he said: “Yeah, really good. In 2016 he has made the next step for sure.”
“He has been very consistent. I think our style of play fits really well with him.
“We had a few talks about it. Of course with Phil’s skills, everyone wants to give him the ball and wait for something special to happen.
“Then you think ‘oh no, don’t shoot again’. But if I could shoot like he could shoot then I would try it all the time.
“I’d get up in the morning and just shoot the ****ing ball around in the garden or something. It’s outstanding how good he is.
“When we spoke about it, I told him that he could help us more and we could help him more when we do very simple passing to create better situations and have the opportunity to finish in different kind of ways. That’s given us a real boost in terms of development.
“It took a little bit of responsibility off his shoulders so he could play more freely of expectations and pressures. All that stuff. He’s made a big, big step.” he concluded.
Coutinho’s performances in the last one year culminated him being named Liverpool’s 2015/16 Player of the Year in addition to a reported interest from Nou Camp giants Barcelona.
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