Tiago Leifert doubts Coutinho call-ups, cites lack of fitness | OneFootball

The journalist and presenter Tiago Leifert has once again stirred the debate about Philippe Coutinho and the Brazilian National Team. On his YouTube channel, he criticized the calls for the Vasco player wearing number 11 to be summoned and stated that the midfielder is far from the level required to wear the national jersey again.

Leifert mentioned Coutinho's performance in Vasco's defeat to Palmeiras and highlighted the direct duel with Gustavo Gómez as an example of the player's current physical limitations:

According to him, Coutinho was "swallowed" by the Palmeiras defender, exposing the lack of intensity needed for national team football. For the presenter, considering the midfielder for a World Cup is something "out of reality" at the moment.

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Photo: Matheus Lima / CRVG

Respectable history, but far from the National Team

Coutinho has a solid track record with the Brazil jersey. His last game for the National Team was in June 2022, when he scored a penalty in the victory over South Korea. In total, he has:

He missed the Qatar World Cup due to injury and has not been called up since.

At Vasco, a different scenario

While a return to the National Team seems distant, the story is different at São Januário. Coutinho has regained prominence and is experiencing a high-performance phase:

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A technical reference and fan idol, he is a key player in Fernando Diniz's team. However, Tiago Leifert's opinion highlights a contrast: the player's current form is valued within the club, but not enough, in the eyes of critics, to put him back on the CBF's radar.

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This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.