Philippe Coutinho will not be at the Qatar World Cup
The Brazilian playmaker did not make a good enough case for himself in the Premier League
Time has run out for Philippe Coutinho. He will not be going to the World Cup. 12 games, no goals, no assists for Aston Villa this season, certifying his decline.
His former team-mate Steven Gerrard has been sacked as coach and Unai Emery has arrived but it won’t change anything ahead of Brazil’s squad announcement on November 7.
The decision has been taken by TIte and Co at the CBF. Everton Ribeiro will be taking Coutinho’s place after a great season at Flamengo and on Saturday he will play in the Copa Libertadores final against Ath. Paranaense.
Another options is Roberto Firmino, who the coach sees more as a 10 than a No 9, where Richarlison and Gabriel Jesus play.
The ‘project Qatar’ that Coutinho started in January has failed. At 30, he is a shadow of the player he was when he first arrived in Barcelona in 2018, ready to eat the world.
