Glen Johnson has had his say on former Liverpool teammate Philippe Coutinho‘s struggles with Barcelona.
The Brazilian established himself as one of the best players in Europe during his time at Anfield, but has failed to hit the heights since joining the LaLiga giants in a deal worth an initial £105million.
Injuries and a lack of form have seen Coutinho slip down the pecking order at the Camp Nou and was even allowed out on loan during the 2019/20 campaign.
He is back at Barcelona this season, but has failed to register a single goal or assist in five appearances.
“Phil could be – and I told him this, I said to him he could be the best player in the world, like literally the best player in the world,” Johnson exclusively told Mirror Sport on behalf of bettingexpert.com.
“But I think sometimes he lacks belief. I think the reason he performed so well at Liverpool was because he had Brendan’s arm around him, reminding him how good he was on a regular basis and he bought into it.
“Whereas sometimes he could be a bit, sort of mentally attacking himself, but if he just enjoyed himself and tried to play his own game, he would be unstoppable.”
He added: “When he got to Barcelona, big price tag, all the other players, maybe he thought he’s really got to perform, whereas at Liverpool, he didn’t have that.
“We had such a good vibe in the dressing room, we were like ‘Relax, go and play football and enjoy yourself’.
“He needs that sort of behaviour around him, he doesn’t need pressure, when he was playing his best, the shackles were off and he could enjoy himself.”
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