Take a look at the list of the most expensive transfers of all time and you won’t see many players who were looking to reinvigorate their careers at mid-table sides only four years after their big money moves.
Yet that is the position in which Philippe Coutinho finds himself, with the former Liverpool man agreeing to join Aston Villa on loan from Barcelona until the end of the season.
Of course, his familiarity with the Villa manager will have no doubt played a part in his decision to join the 13 th placed team in the Premier League.
The fact Steven Gerrard employs a tactical system in which they both thrived as Liverpool players only adds another layer of suitability to Coutinho’s loan move.
READ MORE: Gerrard explains Coutinho plan as former Liverpool star passes medical
Despite featuring together in 81 matches for the Reds, and amassing over 5,000 minutes of pitch time together, Gerrard and Coutinho did not link up to create goals very often at all.
Indeed, it wasn’t until their 52 nd appearance together that they combined, with Gerrard assisting a goal for his young Brazilian colleague during a topsy-turvy 3-2 win at Loftus Road in October 2014.
And as chance would have it, the other link-up they shared also occurred against Queens Park Rangers.
Coutinho sent over a corner at the Kop end which enabled Gerrard to head home the winner in a 2-1 victory in May 2015. It proved to be the Liverpool legend’s final goal at Anfield.
Looking to the future, it might have helped the current Aston Villa manager more if Coutinho had set up any goals for Danny Ings while they played together, though as the latter’s injury problems only gave them 291 minutes together, he did not.
However, there is one aspect of how Gerrard and Coutinho played together at Liverpool which could prove fruitful for the Villains.
Gerrard’s Rangers side romped to the Scottish Premiership title while using a 4-3-3 formation in 30 of their 38 matches ( per FBRef ).
While Dean Smith used those tactics at times with Villa, he utilised a 4-2-3-1 far more often last season, and went with a back three in six of his 11 league matches in charge in 2021/22.
But when Gerrard took over, he switched Villa to his preferred 4-3-3, and save for their loss to Chelsea – in which he opted for a 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield – they have used it in every league game since.
And this is where the combination of Coutinho and Gerrard can pay dividends. Brendan Rodgers employed several formations during Liverpool’s title challenge in 2013/14, but 4-3-3 was the most used and it featured in some very famous victories.
The three best examples will not have been forgotten by Kopites. The Reds won 5-0 at White Hart Lane in December 2013, then 4-0 against Everton the following month before beating Arsenal 5-1 in February.
Each time Liverpool used a 4-3-3 formation and for the latter two matches Coutinho lined up alongside Gerrard in the midfield trio (with the skipper missing the victory over Tottenham through injury).
In the wins over both the Blues and the Gunners, the Brazilian assisted counter attacking goals for Daniel Sturridge, and Gerrard will hope he can provide similar opportunities for the likes of Ings and Ollie Watkins.
“The key to Coutinho is to get him smiling and enjoying his football,” Gerrard said after his side’s FA Cup defeat at Old Trafford.
“If he's coming to work and enjoying the environment, we need to release the talent,” he added.
Coutinho certainly enjoyed the environment provided by the 4-3-3 tactics at Liverpool, as his new manager knows only too well.
With the on-loan Barcelona star and John McGinn (the team’s most creative player under Gerrard to this point) either side of a holding midfielder, Villa could be onto something very good indeed.
