Paulinho and Philippe Coutinho will be going into the World Cup on a high
There are 5 Brazilians in Barcelona’s squad, three of whom are out on loan. And those three are the ones who are going to be missing out on the trip to Russia. Paulinho and Philippe Coutinho will be going into the World Cup on the back of a domestic double win with Barcelona.
After Paulinho signed for the club in the summer for a fee of €40 million from Guangzhou Evergrande, fans and critics alike bashed the management for making such a decision. Earlier, Paulinho had failed to impress at Tottenham and was widely considered unsuited to Europe.
But he proved his critics wrong, making 49 appearances in all competitions over the course of the season. He started 27 times, covering for midfield stalwarts Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitić. Paulinho also starred on the right, allowing Sergi Roberto to freely make overlapping runs.
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But the most startling fact about his debut season at Barça is that he scored 9 goals, which is more than the goal tallies of Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitić and Andrés Iniesta. He added a new dimension to the club’s play, having an intimidating presence in midfield.
And on the other hand, Philippe Coutinho signed for Barcelona with nothing to prove. He came in, and did his thing, scoring goals and providing assists, slowly adapting to his new environment. In 22 appearances in all competitions, Coutinho has scored 10 goals and provided 5 assists.
He has shown that he is a worthy successor to Andrés Iniesta, with his sublime dribbling skills and his ability to find the killer ball frequently. Currently, he is high on confidence, having scored a brilliant goal to win the Iniesta’s last game at the club against Real Sociedad.
But both players will be all set to go into the World Cup in Russia brimming with confidence. But that will not be the case for Rafinha, who missed out on a spot in the Brazil squad despite impressing at Inter Milan on loan.
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As for Douglas, he will never play in a World Cup even if he bribes every single person involved in the selection process. But Marlon Santos has a chance of starring in the World Cup in Qatar if he continues his development properly.