Tite: Liverpool's Coutinho is 'ideal player for Barca'

Tite believes Philippe Coutinho can work wonders at the Camp Nou.

In conversation with Sport, Tite said it's only logical Barcelona would want the double act of Coutinho and Neymar, declaring "they complement each other tactically" and pointing to a goal scored in Brazil's 3-0 victory over Paraguay in 2018 World Cup qualifying.

"Yes," Tite stated. "Absolutely yes. I don't want to be pretentious and give an opinion on Barca, but who wouldn't want a player like Coutinho? That magic, that capacity to invent and create something, that change of rhythm, the way he build play ... "

Asked if it would be good for Brazil if Coutinho and Neymar play together at Barcelona before the World Cup, Tite answered: "It depends where they play. At Liverpool, Coutinho is on the left, but the important thing is that he has the same role as with the national team. Look, if I was (Jurgen) Klopp I would fight to make sure I kept hold of him."

Tite was then asked where he'd like to see Coutinho in Barcelona's side, to which the Brazilian manager replied: "Just to be clear, I'm talking hypothetically ... There's Sergio (Busquets) and two articulators, (Ivan) Rakitic and (Andres) Iniesta, who are the thinkers of the team. Coutinho could play that role. He is the ideal player for Barca."

While Coutinho and Neymar played together at the under-17 level and under-20 level, the two footballers didn't share the pitch at the 2013 Confederations Cup, the 2014 World Cup, or Rio 2016. One was always missing. In fact, the only tournament in which they were deployed alongside one another was the 2015 Copa America, where Brazil crashed out in the quarter-finals by falling to Paraguay on penalty kicks.