Reviews

Since Mane ( my main target for the LW/LF position ) is worth 150k+ because of his POTM SBC, i have decided to try out Coutinho. And I have to say i am really happy with his performances. I use a hawk chem style to boost his pace and physicality. As a LF his 82+ pace is decent. As a LW he feels a bit slower and can't get into finishing positions as frequent .

I bought him to replace Brady as I wanted an upgrade. Coutinho seemed the perfect choice.

However, Coutinho should not be played as a winger as he is too slow to be one. So I decided to put him in CAM and Son at LW.

I can honestly say that he is the best CAM you can ask for. His pace, shot and positioning is what you need for CAM.

He's worth every penny. But, he does seem a bit overpriced.

He always creates a lot of chances for my team and he is always at the perfect position and makes runs. His shooting ability is outstsnding.

His passes make it to the player 95% of the time and he rarely misses his shots. He's scored a lot of screamers and important goals. His dribbling is

Amazing. He can easily dribble pass the whole team. He always breaks through the defender for me. He has amazing composure which allows him to score goals under pressure.

His strength is a massive let down as he can easily be bullied of the ball so I recommend using a chemistry style for strength.

If you want a deadly midfield, put him with cazorla and 84 sigurdsson.

I recommend you to buy him and put him at CAM.

Coutinho for me is one of the best "cheap" players in this game, and probably one of the best players I have played with overall - if used correctly. I start him in a 4-2-2-2 playing as my left CAM ( changing into that formation ingame from a 4-3-3 with Couthino on LW) and this position in a fast-paced, interpassing-based play style fits him to a tee.

His pace at 82 may not appear that high, and indeed it is a problem when you play him on the wing in this game, since his 77 sprint speed means he will run out of steam in most simple long sprint duels, even with the Hunter card applied. However, that stat also hides a 88 acceleration stat (99 with Hunter), which makes him absolutely great for cutting inside towards the middle of the pitch, dribbling past players with quick twists and turns. This is one of the reasons, why he really shines in the CAM position as compared to LW. What also aides this play style, weaving in between players with pace, is Coutinhos amazing dribbling of course. The "feeling" of his dribbling is great, he is one of the most responsive players i have played with and has this "certain extra" to the smoothness of his movement. In that regard his 92 balance and agility and 88 dribbling are something to dream of and dont require any more boosting.

In combination with his dribbling, Coutinhos small stature and low physical attributes are actually more of a pro than a con, since he can weave through the tightest places and is still difficult to take off the ball. His High/High workrates mean he is one of those players, who seems to be all over the pitch at once. All of these attributes combined actually make him into quite a forceful pace-dribbler in the middle of the pitch, that can cut holes in opponents' defenses with high acceleration and changes of pace and direction, before passing it on perfectly to the next player. Yes, Coutinhos passing is also very good of course, especially his vision at 87 and short passing at 85. Though not necessarily spectacular, its more than enough to get every job done in the CAM position.

As maybe his only real minor weakness, I would actually rate Coutinhos shooting. While his high composure (85) and curve (84) mean he is very good at getting shots off in tight situations or with cutting inside and finessing it from the edge of the box. However, his low finishing stat at 74 (84 with hunter) means that he is not one of these players, where I am absolutely sure he will score from certain positions and situations, even though he does score quite a lot of important goals for me. All in all though, his slight inconsistency in front of goal is only a minor issue with an all around stunning player, who should be a staple in every EPL or La Liga squad, especially, if you can afford a way to play him as a (left/ right) CAM with another creative, pacey partner (like 2nd IF Mahrez).

Pace :

it Feel like he is faster, more like 88 pace.

Shooting :

Hes shooting is AMAZING. He doesn’t miss a long shoot and he’s finnishing is perfect too.

Dribbling :

Definitely 10/10. Simply perfect.

Passing :

its VEEEERY good. Long passing could be better, but still he puts the ball perfect to strikers

Defending :

Sometimes he and intercept a pass....

Physical :

Stamina is good, but strength and jumping with heading are terrible. But he’s winger so it isn’t to important.

He used to be my supersub for my squad, and he literally managed to destroy 90-95% of all great finishes that his dribbling or other players delivered him. And that is not because I am that bad as player, i am totally okay with other players on 74 finishing. But Coutinho is just a shame