Koeman: Coutinho is getting better and better

Barcelona defeated Valencia with a 3-1 result on Sunday. The Catalans displayed significant improvement from their recent performances, while some of their injured players made their returns to the team’s squad.

, who was brought in just before the hour-mark, managed to score his first goal since November 2020. Having completed his lengthy recovery process, the Brazil international seems to be ready to take his part in Ronald Koeman’s plans for reviving Barca’s form.

In a post-match interview, the Dutch coach spoke about Coutinho’s performance.

"It was good,"

Koeman told a press conference.

"When he entered the game he was good. With his freedom we were able to control the game better. He knows how to score goals.

"He has taken an important step because I have always believed in Coutinho. Physically, he is getting better and better

."

Asked about

Ansu Fati

, who also returned from injury and scored for the Catalans, Koeman responded:

"He is an important player for his quality and experience. We want to give him minutes and he will be physically better to help the team. It is not a quality issue, but a fitness issue."

The Blaugrana must face Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League on Wednesday, before meeting Real Madrid in El Clasico four days later.

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