His arrival at Liverpool in last January’s transfer window was afforded little fanfare or heightened levels of expectation. Certainly, there was no denying Philippe Coutinho’s talents but the young Brazilian’s record prior to moving to Merseyside hinted at a player who was far from the finished product:

With Luis Suarez, Steven Gerrard and fellow new-boy Daniel Sturridge all vying for our consideration, Coutinho was afforded time to settle as a regular under Brendan Rodgers but by the time the season ended, had done enough to suggest he could well be a major contender in the 2013/14 campaign.

Introduced towards the end of the Gameweek 26 home defeat by West Brom, Coutinho soon cemented a first-team place and started all 12 of Liverpool’s subsequent league matches. Utilised on the left in Rodgers’ preferred 4-3-3, he also operated on the flank when the Reds shifted to a 4-2-3-1 to allow Suarez to tuck in behind Sturridge, but Coutinho also had a brief central berth in the first-half of the Gameweek 37 win at Fulham when Rodgers trialled a 3-5-1-1 formation, with the Brazilian handed the role in “the hole”.

Key Factors