There were a few eyebrows raised when Liverpool announced their starting line-up for their Champions League clash against Spartak Moscow on Wednesday.
Jurgen Klopp made five changes to the side that thrashed Brighton at the weekend, with captain Jordan Henderson and vice-captain James Milner both starting on the bench.
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Which meant Phillipe Coutinho was handed the skipper’s armband for the very first time.
Hmm.
Curious, right?
After all, it wasn’t too long ago that the Brazilian playmaker was lodged in a mildly bitter standoff with the club over a proposed move to Barcelona.
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The Spanish giants came very close to signing the No 10 in the final week of the summer’s transfer window – only for the Reds to deny him his “dream move”.
He’s since reinstated himself back into the team, and has been as awesome as ever – notching four goals and four assists in the Premier League and playing a huge role in the club’s successful passage into the last 16 of the Champions League.
But why did Klopp make him captain?
Well, speaking to the press after the match, the enigmatic German revealed he simply Googled who the longest serving player in the team was that night.
Oh, fair enough.
Speaking to ITV’s Gabriel Clarke, he said: “He was the longest servant on the pitch tonight in the line-up, it was clear that he was the captain.
“He’s here since 2013, I had to Google it, to be honest.”
Incredible.
It seemed to work out alright – with Coutinho scoring his very first hat-trick for the Reds as they obliterated Spartak 7-0.
Not bad at all.
So we wonder – what else has Klopp had to Google during his time at the club?
Maybe; “Can James Milner really play as a left-back?”
Or what about; “Where is Penny Lane, Liverpool?”