Just a few months back, Philippe Coutinho was an unwanted man. The Barcelona man was tipped to leave Camp Nou and loan deal with Bayern Munich was coming to an end. The Germans waived the option to sign the winger permanently and the Catalans were shopping Coutinho around.
It looked like Coutinho will not be with a club at the start of the new football season. But Bayern with the Brazilian on the roster romped their way to a treble win last season. The Bundesliga club won two trophies in Germany and went on to their Champions League victory versus Paris Saint-Germain.
Bayern's most sensational win came at the expense of Barcelona. The Bavarians scored a stunning 8-2 disposal of Barcelona and ironically, Bayern manager Hansi Flick deployed Coutinho on the pitch. The 28-year-old cleared two goals that contributed to the Catalans' quarterfinal exit.
The Barcelona outcast appeared ready to move away from La Liga as speculations emerged that he would likely sign up with a Premier League side. Mirror said that for Barcelona, Coutinho has been marked for offloading.
But that was months ago and before the star was credited with a treble campaign last season. His parent club ended the season not only trophyless but also in turmoil. Ronald Koeman came in to take over from Quique Setien and indicated that the Barcelona lineup will be overhauled.
Initially, it was thought that Coutinho will join the expected exodus of players but Koeman has other plans. The Barca boss decided his game plan synchs with the Brazilian's skills and attitude. So Coutinho has his second coming in Spain and he is planning to find success this time around.
According to Goal, the Barcelona star is off to a good start with Koeman calling the shots at Camp Nou. The Spanish club played three matches so far in La Liga and as he promised, the coach included Coutinho among the starters.
And the player admitted he is quite happy with the turnaround.
"In these seasons I have achieved many things on a personal and collective level, which is the most important thing," Coutinho was reported as saying.
Unsurprisingly, the playmaker said he is shooting higher with the newfound confidence in Barcelona. That is why it's automatic that the goal is to better the achievements he gained while on loan in Bundesliga.
Coutinho said he is giving his best in the ongoing campaign and he is anticipating the great matches to come.
The Brazilian said his success last season can be attributed to the intense training he learned under the guidance of Flick. The German boss spurred the Bayern squad to work extra hard in training and actual games, and it's a discipline that Coutinho said will come handy on his return stint with Barcelona.
