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| Philippe Coutinho insists he is fully focussed on Liverpool |
PHILIPPE COUTINHO has told his big mate Neymar that he is staying put at Liverpool – the grandeur and riches of Barcelona will have to wait.
The two Brazilian internationals are pals and Barcelona star Neymar recently announced that he felt that Coutinho was ready made to step onto the Nou Camp stage.
The Spanish champions and European Champions League holders’ hierarchy share the same opinion and would willingly make a move for the 23-year-old Anfield playmaker given any encouragement.
But on the eve of the Merseyside derby Coutinho delivered a message which is music to the ears of the worried Kop.
He maintained: “I am totally focussed on Liverpool. I heard what Neymar said but I want to do well with Liverpool. I am happy here and I hope this season will go well for us.
“Of course it is a nice thing that he said. Everyone knows he’s my friend but I am here and focused on Liverpool to help them do good things on the pitch, starting with beating Everton.
Coutinho was speaking in the aftermath of another disappointing Liverpool night, a sloppy 1-1 Europa League draw against lowly Swiss outfit Sion.
Under fire manager Brendan Rodgers had hoped to have kept Coutinho completely fresh for today’s crucial derby but brought him on against Sion with half an hour to go.
But even the Brazilian’s magic couldn’t add any sparkle to a performance which ended with more boos from frustrated Liverpool fans.
It heaps the pressure on Rodgers who knows he can’t afford a damaging defeat against the old enemy this afternoon.
Coutinho added: “It’s a big match because our start to the season has not been good.
“But we won the last league game against Aston Villa and it’s important that we keep that winning feeling going.
“But we are not hurting inside because although we know we have to play better it’s still the beginning of a long season and we are calm.”
The former Inter Milan player admitted that he has blocked out all the mounting criticism surrounding the club.
“I don’t listen much to the bad things. We are focussed on the pitch to do well and do good things,” he said.
Team-mate and fellow Brazilian Lucas believes that Liverpool need to invoke the Steven Gerrard spirit for 90 minutes against Everton.
The Gerrard era has passed now the former Anfield captain is plying his trade in the USA but Lucas stated: “With Stevie you could always tell it was a derby week because his emotions were a bit different.
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