Coutinho has already played more minutes for Barca than Dembélé
The injuries that Dembélé has suffered have meant his time on the field has been limited as Coutinho settled into life at the Camp Nou with ease.
After the Liga game against Getafe, Philippe Coutinho has played more minutes for Barcelona than Ousmane Dembélé. The injuries that Dembelé has suffered and the the Brazilian's quick adaption to the team are just a couple of reasons.
When Neymar left the Camp Nou to join PSG last summer, Barcelona were embroiled in a crisis. The unexpected exit of the Brazilian star affected 'Los Culés' who were also beaten by Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup as it looked like their season had started on the wrong foot.
Based on this, Barcelona's board were in a hurry as they only had a few weeks to rebuild the team. In that short span, they tried to sign top players but their prices went up as the other teams knew the situation of the club and their recent payday.
In the end, Barcelona signed Ousmane Dembélé for €140 million, a player who cost Borussia Dortmund just €15m the summer before. Since then, the French winger has only played 290 minutes (LaLiga: 170’; Copa del Rey: 49’; Champions League: 71’) in 5 months as he has been out with two injuries that have seen him miss significant time.
The other player that Barcelona tried to sign was Philippe Coutinho but they were not able to make a deal with Liverpool before the end of the transfer market. However, 'Los Culés' finally signed the Brazilian star for €160 million in the winter transfer market as Liverpool's hand was forced.
One month later, Coutinho has already played more minutes for Barcelona than Dembélé. The former Liverpool player has worn the 'Blaugrana' jersey for 317 minutes of action (LaLiga: 218’; Copa del Rey: 99’) and it seems that the difference is going to continue to grow.