It's becoming common knowledge that Philippe Coutinho is struggling at Barcelona.

Saddled by the weight of his £146 million transfer fee and slipping light years behind expectations to replace Andres Iniesta, the Brazilian has become the source of great criticism in Catalonia.

Has Coutinho been the world's biggest flop since leaving Liverpool? Absolutely not, but he has fallen short of both the predictions of Barcelona supporters and Ernesto Valverde.

The evidence is all in the team selections with Ousmane Dembele emerging as the new favourite and Coutinho having gone over a month without a start in La Liga.

And when he was given an opportunity in the starting XI against Levante, supporters were still unconvinced by his showing and a goal from the penalty spot couldn't persuade them otherwise.

Coutinho struggling at Barcelona

Even neutral fans were watching the 26-year-old and wondering quite why Barcelona had made him the third most expensive player in history.

Gone are the days of Coutinho lighting up the Premier League with Liverpool and making a promising start at the Nou Camp with 10 goals in 22 appearances.

There is, of course, still time for Coutinho to turn things around and there seems to be a few holes in suggestions that he'll be used in a deal for Neymar.

Barcelona fans discuss on forum

However, the negative evidence is starting to pile up and Coutinho is becoming a regular topic of conversation on the biggest Barcelona fan forum.

Despite moving just over a year ago, the forward has already wracked up over 900 pages worth of posts and plenty of the most recent ones have been dedicated to the Levante showing.

And the posts might not be what you expect, with many actually pointing their fingers at Ernesto Valverde. Take a look at some of the best posts down below:

"Sell Coutinho or get rid of Valverde. This match is not working out. It's like Mourinho - De Bruyne, some managers don't pair well with a certain type of player."

"What we need to do is replace Valverde."

"This is all on Valverde. Name ONE player who has blossomed under Valverde?"

"I see Coutinho being the same as Pogba was under Mourinho...uninspiring, lazy and just not good. The most important thing is to first get rid of EV and get a manager with a more attacking, free flow mentality"

"Coutinho is not enjoying his football. I really think he has lost his confidance in Valverde." 

Very interesting stuff from the fans and you can peruse more comments on the forum here.

Are the fans right?

Although from an outside perspective it might seem that Coutinho is self-destructing under pressure, perhaps all the blame shouldn't be piled on the former Liverpool man.

Discontent under Valverde is starting to increase in Catalonia and supporters think he has great culpability in Coutinho's stagnation in 2018/19.

And there's certainly plenty of reasoning behind the claim, with many believing that a faster and more attacking coach would bring the best out of him.

Think they're wrong? Just look at him under Jurgen Klopp.

Barcelona fans, who would you rather keep - Valverde or Coutinho? Have your say in the comments section below.