When Barca fans were rejoicing over the signing of Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich fans were skeptical about Phillipe Coutinho joining them after proving to be useless at Barcelona.

2 months into the season, and the feelings are reversed. Bayern are thanking their stars for giving them Coutinho while Barca faithful are wondering what sort of impact Griezmann would make if he couldn’t take over the mantel to ride over some difficult matches in Messi’s absence.

Barcelona Coach Ernesto Valverde has been accused of not getting enough out of his troops and given how much he failed to use Coutinho’s genius to Barca’s advantage while currently struggling to figure out what to do with Griezmann, it getting harder defending him against critics.

Phillipe Coutinho has been quietly going about his business in Germany, putting in solid performances and making the game of Thiago Alcantara easier while gifting Bayern forwards sweet passes, but the UEFA Champions League demolition of Tottenham Hotspur in London reminded the world of just how good the diminutive Brazilian was.
Liverpool fans sure didn’t forget. They nicknamed him “The Magician” after all.
Injuries have sure added to the complicated time his period at the Camp Nou was, but even that may be behind him given that he recently got back with his former physio at Liverpool.

Bayern Munich looks like they will have a tough time winning the trophy they believe it is theirs by right – the Bundesliga – with both Borussias putting in a serious challenge, Coutinho might just be the one to make the difference. Even the Champions League, with no particularly strong team, remains an open race.
They may yet record their biggest win of the season: getting Coutinho to sign for them on a permanent basis, furthering showing how inept Valverde is at utilizing talent.