Liverpool's Brazilian star Philippe Coutinho is a fantastic footballer.
Whether you like the club or despise them, it's very very difficult to hold any sort of negative opinion on Coutinho as he has proven time and again that he can pull an absolutely stunning goal out of his arse at any moment, and when he's on form you can hear the Liverpool fans standing in expectation anytime he picks up the ball in the opponent's half.
At Stamford Bridge he completely turned the game on its head with two fantastic goals, and has been rightfully praised all over the media, but it irks me that nobody is discussing what I see to be the best part about that second goal... The celebration.
To the naked eye, Coutinho did a knee-slide like many other footballers do up and down the football leagues all over the world, but look again..
Philippe Coutinho achieved knee-slide perfection:
Just look at that form!
- Posture is 10/10, one fist clenched by the hips for dramatic effect, one finger-gun pointed in jubilation.
- Distance is 9/10, he slides so long that he even starts to turn.
- He leaves no skid-marks on the turf, he glides like a cloud.
- Finishing position invites a group-celebration pile on.
Spectacular.
He's clearly learned from Steven Gerrard in the time they spent together at Liverpool, as Stevie was as good as anyone at picking the perfect moment for a dramatic knee slide, but how does Coutinho rank amongst the best knee-slides ever in the Premier League?
Didier Drogba was an absolute expert at executing the knee-slide, away to Everton probably being his best:
- Ruins the pitch to make a point.
- Great speed.
- Rises to his knees due to momentum.
Thierry Henry executed probably the most iconic knee-slide in Premier League history away to Spurs:
- Runs the length of the pitch to his desired corner.
- Impeccable form.
- Great distance.
- Dramatic pause to let the goal sink in.
You have to say, Coutinho is right up there.
The knee-slide celebration is a wonderful thing, and we know a good one when we see one.
