Brazil face back-to-back World Cup Qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay and Rivaldo thinks it could be the last opportunity for Philippe Coutinho to re-establish himself as a key player for Brazil ahead of the World Cup.
“Brazil will play two World Cup Qualifiers this week but the team has already qualified for Qatar, where they are favourites, so both matches are opportunities for manager Tite to look at players that don’t play so often,” Rivaldo told Betfair.
“One of them will be Philippe Coutinho who continues to have Tite’s faith, despite the criticism the manager has received for picking the Aston Villa man. With Brazil missing Lucas Paquetá and Neymar, Coutinho could start against Ecuador.”
Prior to signing for Aston Villa, Coutinho had only started five league matches for Barcelona in this campaign and had he stayed, his place in the Brazilian squad might have been up for debate.
He has since settled well into life at Aston Villa, with the Brazilian scoring on his debut against Manchester United and a start in Villa’s 1-0 away win against Everton.
“Coutinho has started well with Aston Villa, so it seems that he is in a new phase of his career, with opportunities in the Premier League and also with the national team.
“How things go for him from here will depend on his efforts to take advantage of those opportunities.”
With Brazil missing some of their key players ahead of these qualifiers, Rivaldo thinks it could be Coutinho’s last chance to impress on the international stage.
“Coutinho will have his chance to reward all Tite’s confidence on the pitch. If he doesn’t convince at all, Tite might not call on Coutinho again.
“This could be Coutinho’s moment of truth after tough moments in his career. Only with strong performances can the player justify Tite’s confidence for the World Cup. “From here to the end of the season, Coutinho must perform for Villa and Brazil.”
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