Philippe Coutinho has joined Bayern Munich from Barcelona on a one-year loan deal. Having received permission from Arjen Robben, Coutinho will wear the iconic number 10 jersey for the Bavarians.
Coutinho's poor spell at Barcelona has come to a temporary end as of now. Die Roten have the option to make the loan move permanent for €120 mn. To be very honest, Coutinho's time at Barcelona was nothing short of a nightmare. Fans started to turn on him and he was booed at times too. He desperately needed a change and Bayern will give him a perfect chance to do just that. Let's see how Coutinho can fit under Niko Kovac.
Attacking Midfielder behind Lewandowski in 4-2-3-1 formation
Valverde's system at Barcelona gives Messi the space to roam freely in the attacking half and this suppressed Coutinho's natural style of playing a free role behind the striker. His ability to create attack and score long rangers makes him perfect to play behind Lewandowski in the 4-2-3-1 formation. Bayern have two fast wingers in the form of Coman and Gnabry, who can exploit the opponents on the wings and create space for Coutinho in the centre. Thiago can play the role of deep-lying playmaker alongside Tolisso. This is how the team would look with Coutinho as an attacking midfielder (4-2-3-1):
Neuer
Kimmich - Sule - Hernandez - Alaba
Tolisso - Thiago
Gnabry - Coutinho - Coman
Lewandowski
Wide Left Midfielder in 4-2-3-1 formation
Coutinho usually played on the left wing at Barcelona, though that was more in a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2. Even Klopp played him on the left flank at Liverpool encouraging him to drift inside. Kovac can use him on the left flank while playing Müller behind Lewandowski as attacking midfielder. This is how the team would look with Coutinho on the wide left flank (4-2-3-1):
Neuer
Kimmich - Sule - Hernandez - Alaba
Tolisso - Thiago
Gnabry - Müller - Coutinho
Lewandowski
Box to Box Midfielder in 4-3-3 formation
This may be the least likely choice for Kovac, but dropping the Brazilian deeper could free positions in the attack and Kovac can play Perisic, Gnabry, Coman & Müller upfront whilst still playing Coutinho. Thiago Alcántara managed a passing accuracy of 92% last season but Coutinho also managed to complete 89% of his passes in La Liga last season. Coutinho and Thiago can play in the midfield alongside Javi Martinez. This is how the team would look with Coutinho in the midfield (4-3-3):
Neuer
Kimmich - Sule - Hernandez - Alaba
Thiago - Javi - Coutinho
Gnabry - Lewandowski - Perisic
Left Winger in 4-3-3 formation
Coutinho can play as a left winger too. He has played in this position at Barcelona. He struggled there but he has all the attributes to thrive at Bayern. He may find himself on the left wing, however, especially if Coman gets injured. Coutinho's tendency to cut inside from the left and the ability to shoot from range is second to none. This is how the team would with Coutinho as left winger (4-3-3):
Neuer
Kimmich - Sule - Hernandez - Alaba
Thiago - Martinez - Goretzka
Gnabry - Lewandowski - Coutinho
Attacking Midfielder behind Lewandowski & Müller in 3-4-1-2 formation
Hernandez joined the Bundesliga giants this summer and he is likely to start more games among them. But Pavard arrival could lead to Kovac deploying a three at the back formation, with Coutinho as an attacking midfielder behind Lewandowski and Müller. This is how the team would look with three defenders & Coutinho as an attacking midfielder (3-4-1-2):
Neuer
Pavard - Sule - Hernandez
Kimmich - Tolisso - Thiago - Alaba
Coutinho
Müller - Lewandowski
