London - Philippe Coutinho may be the man of the moment at Anfield, but his manager, Jurgen Klopp, is not rushing to join in the clamour that followed the Brazilian's magnificent performance in the opening weekend's 4-3 victory over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
A stunning free-kick equaliser that proved the catalyst for Liverpool to sweep aside Arsene Wenger's men in a 20-minute spell after the break had a breathless social media conjuring the names of such luminaries as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez with abandon.
Jordan Henderson, the England midfielder and Liverpool captain, agreed: “Philippe has certainly got the talent, the work ethic and the hunger to get into that bracket.” Klopp, who called the free kick “genius”, would undoubtedly add “consistency” to that potent cocktail if Coutinho is to be truly elevated among the modern football gods.
The manager will look for signs, starting at promoted Burnley (today), that Arsenal was a statement of intent, and that Coutinho can excel on a continuous basis, having been rather more anonymous in some games last season, notably the Europa League final against Sevilla.
Not that he failed to be impressed by the goal that sparked a Liverpool masterclass as well as a Twitter storm. “Ask Suarez if he ever scored a free kick like Phil's,” said Klopp. “I'm sure he scored many great goals but not a lot like this.”
However, he also pointed out: “We are all different, so why should we compare one good player with another? After one game – not because it is Phil – what are we doing? Consistency is, of course, important as players, and as a team, to make the next step.”
Coutinho will be fit to pursue further heroics at Turf Moor despite suffering painful cramps at the Emirates. “He is training normally,” Klopp said. “That is a very good sign and base for a good season. Now we have to make sure it stays like this, and see where it takes us. Consistency is the base.”
Liverpool finished eighth last season, as well as reaching two finals, but Klopp's record against the top six was exemplary, leading to the suggestion that it is the teams not expected to be vying for honours, such as Burnley, who present a crucial challenge to his side this time.
“I was really pleased with the goals we scored at Arsenal.” he said. “The free-kick was genius, but all the other goals, it was like 36, 40 passes in a row. We never lost direction... always it's clear we only pass because we want to create offensive spaces.
“We need this in each game and against Burnley. But do we say if it doesn't work, then we have no chance? No. These games against lower-table opposition, it was always a different situation.
“We had these situations last season when we played well and talked about consistency, but can you really expect consistency in the situation we were in, playing these number of games?”
Liverpool will have no European distractions this season, and will in theory be fresher for games, although Klopp has no intention of attempting to “improve” on what he clearly considers to be a dubious benchmark set at Arsenal last weekend, when his team covered 117.6km during the match, the highest figure recorded in the Premier League since tracking cameras were introduced.
“I hope that we defend so smart that we won’t have to always run like devils,” Klopp said. “I saw we broke a record with running, but it is more that you are able to make the right decisions. I want to use Daniel Sturridge's skills and not try to transform him into a marathon runner.”
His final observation on the most exhilarating of the opening weekend by a margin, was to dash the hopes of those who detected a more cavalier approach to the game in that 4-3 scoreline.
“I never accept before a game that we will concede goals,” Klopp said. “I don't think, 'we need to score five because these guys will score four.' I never think this. I love clean sheets. Maybe it looks different, but I love clean sheets.
“We didn't think before the game that it was a very offensive line-up. It is if the players only think offensively, but they have a job to do in defence.”
The Independent