Coutinho didn’t play as the regista but as the left midfielder, but he was way more concerned with operating things from the back. To accommodate Neymar on the left, Coutinho had to move a little to the centre, and seeing as Paulinho likes to come forward, he dropped almost to a false-Regista role.
The thing is, Coutinho is not utilised to his maximum when he plays so far from the back. Remember when De Bruyne played a few matches as the Regista at the beginning of last season for City? Like De Bruyne, Coutinho is much useful to the team when he is in the thick of things.
It is understandable what Tite is trying here – Coutinho prefers the central position and he plays behind Jesus and Neymar, with Paulinho roaming the box looking for rebounds. But with Casemiro out for the next match (suspension because of a yellow card), will he opt for Fernandinho as a like-for-like replacement?
The alternative is to switch from a 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3, with Firmino, Neymar and Coutinho as the front three, and a midfield trio of Paulinho, Fernandinho and Willian. If they have to face Belgium, it will be interesting to see if Coutinho will be used as a pseudo-forward for his skill, or as a deep-lying playmaker for his creativity.