Tobi Ijalana
Brazilian professional footballer, Philippe Coutinho, has warned his Barcelona team-mates ahead of their first leg Champions League semi-final against Liverpool on Wednesday in the Nou Camp.
With his experience in Liverpool, Coutinho urges that they cannot focus all their defensive efforts on keeping Liverpool’s front three quiet.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, have scored 65 goals between themselves this season.
Coutinho will be facing Liverpool for the first time since leaving just over a year ago, insisted the Reds were much more than just their forward line.
He said:
“They are important players, but it’s not just those three.
“There are the defenders, the midfielders who are all quality players and work hard to create goals for them. ‘We will have to be aware of the whole team and do our job as we have been doing recently, keep our shape on the field and put in a good performance.’
Also, he admitted spending five years in Liverpool was great and putting on a different shirt against them is a special game for him.
“I spent five years at Liverpool and I was very happy there, but now I am wearing a different shirt, different colours, so it’s going to be a special game and I hope we can do our best.”
“They are a great team and strong mentally. I’ve been watching them this season and they are excellent going forward and in defence so we will have to be alert.”
Coutinho left Liverpool to sign for Barcelona in a £142million deal in January 2018.
