Another game, another flop for Philippe Coutinho.
It’s hard to believe that the Brazilian was Barcelona’s record signing because for the past two years he has done nothing to justify his price tag.
He cost the Catalans €160m (£142m) from Liverpool according to the Liverpool ECHO, but Barca will be lucky to sell him for a quarter of that.
Against Alaves on Saturday night, he was, once again, woefully under par. His confidence appears shot to pieces and it’s all he can do to play the odd good pass here and there.
Frankly, he should be put out of his misery.
Any potential new manager is going to have his work cut out in any event, given that Barca are marooned in ninth position in La Liga and are already eight points off of the pace being set by Real Madrid.
One of the most pressing issues is how they solve the Coutinho problem. Maybe cutting their losses isn’t the best course of action, given their financial predicament, however, the potential cost saving from salary would offset some of that.
If they decide against a sale or there’s a lack of interest, a move from a left-hand side berth has to be a consideration… for all of the difference it will make.