Standard Chartered August Player of the Month Philippe Coutinho has spoken of the need for his Liverpool colleagues to remain level-headed despite a dismal showing at Old Trafford last Saturday which compounded a shaky start to the campaign.
The Brazilian, who has become a key figure at Anfield since his bargain £8.5m move from Inter Milan, missed the Reds’ game against their bitter rivals following a sending off for two bookable offences in the home defeat to West Ham.
He said that it was imperative for the team to remain focussed on the task in hand as Brendan Rodgers looks to guide the club back to the top four.
Speaking to the club’s official website, Coutinho said: “It is vital to stay calm, mainly because we are just at the beginning in all competitions.
We have a long season ahead and many things can happen. The Premier League is tough – all clubs have great teams – and we know twists and turns will happen.
“We have to not only remain calm but also to work hard to achieve what we want on the pitch.
“It feels bad to be out and not being available to be selected and help the team, but we have to look ahead now and get over these two recent games we lost.
There are lessons to be learned so we can move on and avoid making the same mistakes. We have a great team here and we know we can improve – and that’s what we’re trying to do right now.
Coutinho has travelled to Bordeaux prior to Thursday’s Europa League clash with Bordeaux and is expected to start as one of the more senior players in the squad.
Manager Brendan Rodgers will no doubt be looking forward to adding Coutinho’s creativity back into the line-up ahead of four games at home in the coming weeks.
