Since Brazillian Felipe Coutinho landed in Camp Nou after an astonishing stay at Liverpool his form deteriorated so much such that early this year the club thought of putting him out into the market.
But when he was given matches, later on, the former Liverpool star has continued to show his ugly side and as it stands, he is going to remain in the club.
Every England defender that has met him know very well that he doe not entertain them or the ball near the box a thing he was doing in his stay at Liverpool which he also repeated when he metManchester United during the second leg curling a kick out the box into the net.
The 26-year-old delivered a series of spectacular strikes during a highly successful five-year stint at Anfield from 2013.
But now, after serving the latest reminder of his shooting skills with a wonderful goal against Manchester United in the Champions League quarter-finals, it is his former club who could be on the receiving end of the Brazilian’s magic in Wednesday’s semi-final first leg.
If this semi-final tie had been staged a couple of months ago, there is no doubt Coutinho would have started on the bench.
A poor start to the season soon saw him lose his place, falling behind speedy French forward Ousmane Dembele in manager Ernesto Valverde’s pecking order.
Coutinho only made one start in La Liga between early November and mid-January, and he played no part in the first leg of his team’s last-16 Champions League tie against Lyon as rumours spread that Barca were preparing to offload him.
In March, though, Coutinho was given a reprieve when Dembele suffered a hamstring injury, giving him a chance to show his worth meaning he was only an unused substitute for the first leg of their quarter-final against United.
Bright performances during Dembele’s month-long absence allowed Coutinho to keep his place and show hi glitter ahead of the fit-again Frenchman for the second leg against United.
That saw the Brazilian cap one of his best displays in a Blaugrana jersey with the final goal in his team’s 4-0 aggregate win, expertly whipping the ball past David de Gea and into the top right corner from 25 yards.
With that goal, it looked as if Coutinho was finally starting to feel comfortable alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in the Barca forward line, suggesting he could yet convert his talent into meaningful end product on a consistent basis.
It had been a long time coming. Coutinho produced a few bursts of excellence during his first year in Spain, but they were vastly outnumbered by listless performances marked by poor decisions on the ball and an inability to regularly influence play.
Since the last-eight victory over United, Valverde has used his team’s comfortable position in La Liga the title was secured by Saturday’s home win over Levante to rotate through the full range of options in his squad.
Perhaps the biggest clue over his selection plans for Wednesday’s meeting with Liverpool came during the weekend win over Levante, when Coutinho delivered a strong first-half performance and was then replaced by Lionel Messi, suggesting he was being rested so he is in top condition to start against his former club.
Valverde’s decision will depend partly on how he wants the game to unfold, because Dembele and Coutinho offer very different attributes.
The former Liverpool man is a more technical player, with a better ability when he is playing well as he did on Saturday to maintain possession in congested areas, and possessing a selfless approach to his combination play with Messi, Suarez and overlapping full-back Jordi Alba.
Dembele is more of an individualist, boasting bags of trickery on the ball as well as a real eye for goal, along with electric pace which gives Barca a counter-attacking option badly lacking when Messi, Suarez and Coutinho comprise the forward line.
So Valverde seems to face a straight choice: control with Coutinho, or penetration with Dembele. He can, of course, opt for a bit of both, starting with Coutinho before bringing on Dembele midway through the second half, when opposing legs start to tire and more space opens up.
There’s also a chance that neither will start, as Valverde could bolster his midfield with veteran street-fighter Arturo Vidal, young technician Carles Alena or all-rounder Sergi Roberto, all of whom have performed well enough to earn a starting role (the latter could also be selected at right-back).
That formula – with Messi and Suarez in attack ahead of a narrow midfield four in a cautious 4-4-2 formation could be employed for the return leg at Anfield, but in the home leg, Valverde is likely to prefer a more attacking approach, with either Dembele or Coutinho to start.
And with Coutinho showing a marked improvement in form while Dembele is still regaining his rhythm after a month on the sidelines, Liverpool will probably have to face their former star on Wednesday.
It could be a make-or-break occasion in determining Coutinho’s longer-term future at the club and a great opportunity for him to win over the doubters as long as he doesn’t stick his fingers in his ears again.