This little Magician Coutinho has that wow factor

13 November 2016 - 02:00 By BBK

There is no denying his stock of skills. His is Brazilian after all and God is supposed to be one of them, according to the gospel preached on the football pulpits from Rio to Brasilia. He is not a football god yet. But he is well on his way to entering his name among the elite league, the best to ever grace the game.Phillippe Coutinho makes my pulse beat faster than the speed of light.The little Magician makes me lose my mind akin to a child in a candy shop.With every game, be it for club or country, Coutinho's stock seems to be rising faster than cake flour.The twinkle-toed one is in fine form.story_article_left1The Liverpool midfielder has started the season strongly in a 4x4 mood - in excellent early season form, he has four goals and four assists in eight games thus far for the red side of Merseyside.Coutinho is not one with a bagful of goals in his games for Brazil.But when he gets them, he adds a catalogue of gems in his repertoire.Cue Belo Horizonte in the wee hours of Friday morning - against Argentina, in a 2018 World Cup qualifier.There's this trademark goal in particular which, when he scores, is sensational.It is a typical Coutinho goal, one that usually leaves goalkeepers clutching at straws in the air.He collects the ball on the left, cuts inside and hammers home.When he pulled it off in the 25th minute, he raised the roof at the venue, setting the Selecao on course to a stunning defeat of the visiting sworn enemy.He was the bullet supplier for the Suarez and Sturridge strike force.He works in tandem with the roaring Senegalese lion of Teranga, Sadio Mané, and his homeboy Roberto Firmino.He has dislodged Willian from the Selecao starting berth.Coach Tite has been captured by Coutinho's captivating contributions."Why Coutinho instead of Willian? There's a reason he is called the Magician by Liverpool fans."It was a difficult decision for me [dropping Willian], but right now this is Coutinho's moment. And in football, you have to follow the moment."With his passes, Coutinho opens the lines, creates space. I like his mobility. He was influential in both games when he came on," Tite told the Brazilian press early last month.Coutinho is now being courted by Neymar's Barcelona. Catalan newspapers are linking him with a move to the Camp Nou.They love their South Americans, the most prominent being the terrific front trio: Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.They love buying them from Liverpool like they did with Javier Mascherano and Suarez.story_article_right2While a move to the Blaugrana will no doubt enhance his stature, this Liverpool fan wishes for it to happen after the little Magician sets Anfield alight.Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in jail and now Coutinho must help free the long suffering Reds - this columnist included - from the 27-year-long league title drought.Liverpool are purring under Jurgen Klopp.They have no distraction of European engagementsThe 24-year-old scored 28 goals for Liverpool since switching allegiance from Inter Milan's San Siro to Anfield in an £8-million move in January 2013.One of those was a 25-metre strike against Stoke City.The one on Friday started a night to forget for the Argentines who were left in a heap of a mess, Messi and all.But it was a performance that once more confirmed the undeniable stock of skills of the player, part of the 2009 South American under-17 champions.Especially coming as it did in Bela Horizonte, where Brazilians shed a waterfall of tears when they were humiliated 7-1 in the 2014 World Cup semifinal.Twitter:@bbkunplugged99..

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