Ernesto Valverde Says Philippe Coutinho Must Fight for Barcelona Place

Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde says Philippe Coutinho must "fight" to earn back his starting spot in the side. 

The Brazil international made his first domestic start since December 2 on Thursday, when Barca lost 2-1 to Levante in the opening leg of the Copa del Rey last 16.

He netted a potentially crucial penalty in the 85th minute to halve the deficit Barca will take back to the Camp Nou for the second leg.

But his presence in a Barca side packed with fringe players—the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Ivan Rakitic and Gerard Pique were all rested—was indicative of his status.

Valverde compared Coutinho's situation with Ousmane Dembele's earlier in the season when he wasn't playing, per Matt Dorman of Goal: 

"When Dembele wasn't playing, everyone was asking me about him. Now Dembele's playing and Coutinho isn't and the reverse is happening. When you do not play and you are not happy, you have to fight to change the situation. Today was a match for that.

"Coutinho is a great player who has given us a lot and will give us a lot. I will say the same about Dembele. It's a repetitive question with interchangeable names."

Barcelona paid £142 million to sign Coutinho from Liverpool in January 2018. He has yet to live up to his huge price tag, but he is far from a lost cause.

David Ramos/Getty Images

At Liverpool, Coutinho established himself as one of the most accomplished attacking midfielders in Europe.

The 26-year-old was fantastic in the Premier League, and if he can return to that kind of form for Barca, he could be a huge asset in the second half of 2018-19 as the Blaugrana look to win silverware domestically and in Europe.

Valverde will need to use his squad players as the campaign drags on, so Coutinho will have more chances to impress and to force his way back into the first team.

It is clear he is still highly rated by his manager, and it is likely he needs regular game time to get back to his best.