Micah Richards: Philippe Coutinho joining Aston Villa shows Steven Gerrard’s dominance

There There were several reasons why Aston Villa wanted Steven Gerrard to be their manager but the biggest was obvious at 10am on Friday.

this was the moment when The news has been published. She Philippe Coutinho Joined the club on loan.

Here’s a Champions League Winner Brazil International, highly experienced and desperate to restart his career, Joe will join most teams around Europe.

But he chose Villa because of Gerrard. It’s not disrespectful to Dean Smith – and I’m not saying Villa couldn’t have got Coutinho had he been manager – but Gerard’s name and reputation go a long way and that’s the initial loan. barcelona Could be the catalyst for a new era in my old club.

Everything needs a starting point. With Manchester City, it was a Robinho deal in 2008. He came from Real Madrid and while he didn’t have the impact everyone expected, his arrival in the North-West showed other players of that ability that City was a destination to be taken seriously. ,

Coutinho’s arrival in Birmingham is a statement of Villa’s intention.

A lot of players will be watching how he performs under Gerard and want to know about what happens next; Those who are playing now will have grown up watching Gerrard at Liverpool and are excited at the idea of ​​working with him.

This is, potentially, much more than just a temporary deal until the end of the season. This is going to be one of the most lucrative pieces of business to happen in January and shows that Gerrard has authority as Villa have recently attempted to sign players younger than this 29-year-old.

Many people, of course, will be quick to say that he is finished.

Friday marked the fourth anniversary of his £146million move from Liverpool to Barcelona but while things never went the way they should at the Nou Camp, the man’s ability was not questioned should go.

I have been following Coutinho’s career closely since I first played against him on a hot night in Baltimore in August 2010. He was a kid, making his way to Inter Milan’s team, but it was evident during that game. All the tools to get to the top.

It was his speed of turns, his amazing technique and his ridiculously high level of close control that was something else. Inter beat City 3-0 that evening and when he didn’t score, he was discussing in our dressing room and everyone was asking: ‘Where did he come from?’

He was brilliant for Liverpool in many ways. They bought him in January 2013 for £8m and sold him five years later for a staggering profit, which enabled the club to develop further, as they received money from Barcelona to buy Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker. made use of.

A part of me feels sad that he never got to share in the joy that came under Jurgen Klopp because he had the potential to be remembered as one of Liverpool’s greatest midfielders of all time; Maybe not in the same realm as Gerard, but certainly in a higher bracket.

When he went to Barcelona, ​​he was worth every penny of that transfer fee. He was playing out of his skin, he was a driving force in helping Liverpool get back into the Champions League and delivering on the promise that I saw closely in the United States.

Maybe the size of the transfer fees meant that everyone expected him to turn into the next Neymar or climb to the level of Lionel Messi. I understand the allure of the South American wanting to represent Barcelona but he left behind a good thing at Anfield. Grass is not always green.

Some of the criticism aimed at Coutinho suggests he is playing with his shoes on the wrong feet, but it hasn’t been all bad. He was great for Bayern Munich during a loan period in 2019-20, and helped them win the Champions League and clean up domestically in Germany.

Spain also had trophies, and in Barcelona he averaged around a goal every four games. True, the ratio isn’t spectacular but it’s not as bad as some would have you believe. A top player awaits the explosion and Gerard is the one to revive him.

The set-up in the villa will bring out the best of them, with hard workers protecting her and giving her the opportunity to flourish.

Gerard, I know, thinks about his world and you can’t underestimate how important it is for confidence to have the support of the man in the dugout.

Gerrard is determined to make his mark at Villa and a tempting FA Cup tie at Old Trafford on Monday night; Coutinho’s return to England has given an added dimension to his season as a whole. This is the beginning of a grand plan. It will be interesting to see it develop.

show some respect trippier

Kieran Trippier is the first signing of the new Newcastle era. I don’t understand why Atletico Madrid let a player of their class go but Diego Simeone’s loss is Eddie Howe’s gain.

Inevitably, Kieran has already been criticized for having ‘went for the money’.

Let me deal with it by explaining it. He started at Manchester City, where he was behind me and Pablo Zabaleta, and went to Burnley to take the game. He did so well there that Tottenham came for him and represented him in the final of the Champions League.

Trippier has scored for England in a World Cup semi-final, which was played in a European Championship final; He has won LaLiga with one of Spain’s great clubs. He is one of the most recognizable full-backs in the game and maximizes every ounce of his potential. He has earned the right to make this decision.

FA Cup third round day will always excite me

My love for the FA Cup third round weekend will never disappear and I will have my keen eye on the result at Kenilworth Road on Sunday, when Luton face my local team Harrogate.

I would love nothing more than an away win and a place in the fourth round draw.

A few weeks ago, on a rare Saturday vacation, I went to see Harrogate with a friend of mine.

I raised my hood and stood on the rooftops, minding my own business. It was a wonderful afternoon, a reminder of how great the game is outside the Premier League. I will be back again soon.

Micah’s Man of the Week

The saga ends with Romelu Lukaku and for that, significant credit must go to Thomas Tuchel.

The head coach of Chelsea went into my estimation of how he dealt with this episode, as it was a masterclass from start to finish.

I was wondering how everything will be when Lukaku is interviewed last Friday? Sky Italy was broadcast. In the back of my mind, I had doubts around Tuchel that surfaced from his time at Paris Saint-Germain, with reports that he couldn’t handle dressing full of big stars.

But Tuchel never kept his foot out of place from start to finish. He had to drop Lukaku against Liverpool; When he spoke to the media, he gave enough information without downplaying his player and also protected his club’s assets.

Chelsea can move on and it all depends on their manager.