How Coutinho’s class and experience can bring the best out of Ramsey at Villa

Philippe Coutinho making his debut for Aston Villa in their 2-2 draw against Manchester United at Villa Park. Photo: PA/Reuters

James Ducker

January 17 2022 02:30 AM

Philippe Coutinho’s impact was already significant before Saturday’s memorable cameo, and could prove crucial for record pounds £33 million signing Emiliano Buendia.

Coutinho has joined Aston Villa on loan from Barcelona after being lured by Steven Gerrard, scoring the equaliser against Manchester United just 14 minutes into his Premier League return.

Gerrard admitted Coutinho’s arrival last week had already lifted the dressing room and the Brazilian’s brief appearance suggested he may prove an extremely shrewd signing.

The Coutinho factor has also rubbed off on his new team-mates, with Buendia producing his best performance since his summer move from Norwich City.

Buendia has often struggled to perform consistently and the signing of Coutinho was viewed in some quarters as potentially bad news for the Argentine.

Yet in those final breathless stages on Saturday evening, Coutinho and Buendia proved they could play together in the same team and bring the best out of each other. “I think other people on the outside might have been thinking when Phil arrived, ‘What does it mean for other players in the team and the squad?’,” Gerrard said. “We haven’t brought anyone in to replace Buendia, he’s a big player for us and he’s going to contribute and help us a lot.

“We want as many good players here as we can. We want players who can play together. They’ve been shining in training together and they obviously get on well with the South American connection. He was my personal man of the match. I was absolutely delighted with Emi Buendia and he’s been getting better and better each week.

“We’ve sat him down and spoken with him about certain situations but I really loved his performance. He epitomised everything that I want to stand for.”

Buendia was creative and competitive, always available for the ball and involved for both of Villa’s goals, as the home team punished United’s fragility.

“He was competing for headers, he was sliding and won everything he could out of possession,” Gerrard said. “He died on the pitch, he was getting kicked and some of his football was terrific.”

United had appeared in control after two goals from captain Bruno Fernandes and there seemed far more fluency in the team without the injured Cristiano Ronaldo.

Fernandes and Mason Greenwood, in particular, were far more threatening and in the first half their movement was a real problem for Villa’s defence, who also lost Ezri Konsa at half-time due to injury.

But from the moment the impressive young midfielder Jacob Ramsey dragged Villa back into contention in the 77th minute, there was an inevitability that United would concede again.

United face Brentford away on Wednesday night, with Ronaldo expected to return from a hip flexor injury, but their season remains a huge disappointment. They are now 24 points behind leaders Manchester City and a top-four finish appears increasingly beyond them.

The weaknesses that ultimately ended Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign as manager are still clear to see.

With Villa on an upward trajectory under Gerrard, and making signings such as Coutinho and Lucas Digne, United should be in their crosshairs.