Philippe Coutinho’s highly anticipated transfer to Barcelona did not go as planned, being resigned to limited minutes and a different role by then manager Ernesto Valverde in the latter stages of the 2018/19 season. The Brazil international opted for a change of scenery at the end of the campaign, joining Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich on loan with the German club having an option to buy for €120m. Die Roten signed the former Liverpool star to replace James Rodriguez who was on loan at the club for two years himself, but returned back to Real Madrid after Bayern decided not to trigger his buyout clause.
It seems increasingly likely that Coutinho will suffer the same fate as his predecessor as it looks like Bayern won’t trigger the clause given their squad depth in the attacking areas and the huge sum they would have to pay. However, that is not to say that the attacker was poor for the German giants and did not showcase his talents. Coutinho has had an underrated season in Bavaria and he has shown that he still has the quality to play for Europe’s finest. This tactical analysis will aim to provide you with a scout report on the 27-year-old and his impact on Bayern Munich’s performances this season.
Passing
As a playmaker, the best asset you should have is passing – something that Coutinho has in abundance. Playing as either a forward or an attacking midfielder at Bayern, he has an incredible 84% pass accuracy. He plays 1.4 key passes per game, which is quite low for a creator of his ilk especially since he was able to reach a peak of 2.9 key passes per game at Liverpool. However, this can be explained by the fact that he plays a slightly different role at Bayern and is not the chief creator for them like he was at the Reds.
His brilliance in passing comes from his exceptional technique and ability to make difficult passes look easy. Below, Coutinho and Lewandowski recognise the huge space behind the opposition’s backline that can be exploited. However, Lewandowski is closely marked by two players who would be able to intercept a through ball. Coutinho, who himself is under pressure, notices this and can play a perfectly weighted scooped pass to put Lewandowski through on goal for a fantastic assist. The pass sums up Coutinho’s ability on the ball and is an asset that only a few have in the world let alone the Bayern squad.
He also has a great variety of passes and is capable of playing great long passes but his influence in the final third is what makes Coutinho special. He can dissect the opposition with defence-splitting passes, which leads to great chances for his team. He is able to do this at a high level and often has a lot of the opposition defenders keying on him since they are wary of his quality.
The image below is a great example of this. Coutinho is under pressure with two players close by. The Brazilian can use his nifty footwork and superb passing range to fashion some space and deliver a fantastic pass into the open space for Gnabry. Gnabry then takes advantage of the defenders focusing on Coutinho and makes a blind run in behind and is thus able to score with ease.
