Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho Compared to Ronaldinho by Tottenham's Sandro

Liverpool head into a crucial Premier League battle with Tottenham this weekend hoping two South American stars can drag them to victory at White Hart Lane.

Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho carry the hopes of the Merseysiders following injuries to Daniel Sturridge and Steven Gerrard, as the Reds bid to maintain their title challenge.

Suarez has captured all the headlines this season during his run to the top of the league’s goalscoring charts, but Spurs midfielder Sandro admits Coutinho is the concern, per Darren Lewis of the Daily Mirror:

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With the ball, Coutinho’s passes are like Ronaldinho’s. His passes are good, man. He doesn’t move a lot. But his passing! You think he is going to pass here and he passes there instead.

He does the same as Ronaldinho. You think he’s going to do one thing, and he does something completely different. He changes. Ronaldinho was the best player, but I think their style is similar. I’m happy for him. He is young but he starts good at Liverpool. It is difficult to do that at Liverpool.

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Sandro’s concern over his compatriot is fully justified. Coutinho has started eight league games for Liverpool this season and is yet to finish on the losing side when named in the starting XI, per Soccerbase.

His statistics do not do justice to his integral influence over the Liverpool team, having registered just one goal and one assist.

However, Liverpool have scored 21 goals in the eight league games Coutinho has started—again, according to Soccerbase statistics—averaging close to three goals per game.

The Reds have by contrast netted 13 times in the seven fixtures the Brazilian has not started, per ESPN FC, losing to Southampton, Arsenal and Hull in the process.

The key difference Coutinho makes to Brendan Rodgers’ side is the link he provides between midfield and attack. Without him, Liverpool have struggled to develop forward momentum, with Suarez noticeably less influential in games against Arsenal and Hull without his colleague on the pitch.

Rodgers recently spoke of Coutinho’s talent to Liverpool’s official website:

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Philippe is such a talent now, he is an ­absolute joy to watch, and I have been on to (Luiz Felipe) Scolari constantly about him because I know Luiz from my Chelsea days …

Felipe has asked me to keep an eye on the Brazil boys and give any feedback - even ones from other clubs - but I'm only concerned about ours here and, for me, Philippe is brilliant.

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The importance of Liverpool’s clash with Tottenham is clear to see. Given that league leaders Arsenal travel to Manchester City, the Reds have a strong chance of finishing the weekend two points off top spot with a win over Spurs.

However, defeat could see them tumble out of the top four, allowing Tottenham to move level with their rivals in the hunt for a Champions League spot.

Gerrard’s absence will likely see Coutinho become the focal point of Liverpool’s midfield, playing at the tip of a trio alongside Joe Allen and Lucas Leiva.

That would bring him into direct competition with Sandro, making for a fascinating battle in front of the Spurs back four. Whoever wins that contest will likely swing the game in his side’s favour.