Coutinho’s new chance at the Allianz Arena

Bayern Munich will have Philippe Coutinho on loan for the next 12 months. The German powerhouse and the Brazilian playmaker have reached a deal which could benefit both sides.

The two parties were perfect for one another. Bayern needs an offensive midfielder who knows how to organize the work around him. On the other side, Coutinho wanted a place where his role would be more significant than the one in Barcelona.

According to the deal, Bayern will pay the entire salary, which is €8.5 million. If everything ends well, and there is a mutual desire, the Germans might buy the player at the end of the loan for €120 million.

Back in Spain, the player didn’t adjust to the situation on the field. A €142 million signing expected to have one of the leading roles in Barca’s game, but instead, he ended up as a help for Messi, Suarez and the rest of the team.

What went wrong for the Brazilian, nobody knows. Barcelona needed that third star who would stretch opponents defences the way they did with Neymar in the team. However, Coutinho’s productivity and impact on the field were pretty insignificant for the player of his status.

In 76 games played, he had 21 goals and 11 assists, but he wasn’t near the level of play from Liverpool. In all the important matches, Coutinho failed to show, and some other players who weren’t planned to play his position slowly removed him from the starting line-up.

His desire to join Blaugrana makes this development even more interesting. When leaving Liverpool who didn’t want to sell the player, Coutinho publicly demanded a trade request, justifying that with his desire to win trophies. The team wanted to offer him an improved contract, but he didn’t want to accept it. The irony in all was the fact that the Reds later eliminated Barcelona on their way towards the title this year. After 3-0 in Spain, Liverpool performed one of the most miraculous comebacks and defeated Valverde’s team with 4-0 at Anfield.

Bayern’s Struggles To go Away with Coutinho

As for the Bavarian side, they are now finishing the transition from the old team put together by Jupp Heynckes, to the one composed by Niko Kovac. Truth to be told, the first part of that process wasn’t smooth at all. Despite having Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, Bayern won the title mostly because of Borussia’s slips. The atmosphere in the locker room was not good at all, and the guy who was their first pick to become the new leader, James Rodriguez quickly confronted Kovac.

This season is the first one without Robben, Ribery and Mats Hummels. Kovac’s authority should be bigger now, but still, the problems with the fans are present, as they disagree with his philosophy of play. The Croatian manager isn’t keen to attack throughout the entire 90 minutes as his predecessors. All that makes things a bit tense at Allianz Arena.

Coutinho’s arrival should solve some of the problems.

This is a perfect chance for him to bounce back into the group of elite players where he was just two years ago. His qualities are undeniable, and with the right teammates, and just a little bit of luck, he should show his real face in no time.