Ahead of El Clasico, we need to talk about Philippe Coutinho’s impressive transformation when he played for Bayern Munich last season.
Philippe Coutinho left FC Barcelona to play at Bayern Munich on a loan, we all thought he was a lost cause when he left. He was part of that panic buying spree that Barcelona did when Neymar decided to play at PSG. Since he arrived in 2017, he never really proved that he could become that important player for the Catalan club.
Although his quality was impossible to ignore, it was clear that several aspects of his physical attributes and mental fortitude weren’t all there. The Coutinho we all knew from Liverpool wasn’t the same Coutinho who arrived at FC Barcelona, something needed to change. His arrival al Bayern Munich coincided with Hansi Flick’s arrival at the German club.
This new coach gave all his players a fresh perspective on how to improve on a daily basis. They didn’t simply have exercises with the ball, but they also started spending hours at the gym. Coutinho started following this new regimen and he began improving at an accelerated rate.
Phil’s dramatic muscle mass increase.
As soon as we started taking a closer look at Coutinho during his final months at Bayern Munich, it was evident that hard work was paying off. The player who was presented at Camp Nou in 2017, is nowhere near the buff dude who came back to Barcelona this season.
According to Sport, Phil increased a reported 10 pounds of lean muscle during his time in Germany. Just by looking at the two pictures we present here, you can see the staggering difference between before and after. Not only that, but Coutinho also came as an improved player from a tactical perspective.
He is a man on a mission who is determined to make a difference at FC Barcelona. Every player’s dream is to succeed at one of the best clubs in the world. This is the reason Coutinho should be one of the players to look at during Saturday’s El Clasico.
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