Frank Lampard Says Liverpool Were Right to Sell Coutinho & Backs Reds to Make it to UCL Final
Former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard reckons Liverpool were right to sell Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona earlier this year.
The Brazilian made the switch to the Camp Nou during the January transfer window, completing his dream move. And he has already won La Liga, as well as the Copa del Rey, with his new side.
The Reds, though, hardly look worse off and don't seem to miss him at all.
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"They obviously paid a lot for Virgil van Dijk but it was the perfect time to do that. They needed him and it came from the funds generated by Philippe Coutinho’s sale to Barcelona in January," the Blues legend wrote in the Evening Standard.
When the whole Coutinho saga was going on, I felt it was the best option to let him go. He is a really good player but the figures were too big to ignore.
"They were a lop-sided squad — you could see they had a number of attacking players and they still have plenty now. But they needed to sort out the defence. They will now feel it was good business.I think that was another example of why Klopp is so good. He is not spontaneous — he really thinks about things and comes up with a plan."
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The ex-England international is also backing the Anfield side to complete their dismantling of Roma in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
"It is another reason why I can’t see Roma overturning the 5-2 deficit in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final tomorrow night," he continued. "Yes, they did it against Barcelona in the last round, but Liverpool have the attacking talent to score at least once there.
"Roma will have to go forward to get themselves back in the tie. It just sits perfectly for Liverpool.
What Liverpool did in attack last week will be on the Roma players’ minds. It is going to be so hard for them to approach a game like that knowing you can’t afford to concede."
