Philippe Coutinho and Dan James continue their redemptions as Jacob Ramsey announces himself - The Warm-Up

THURSDAY'S BIG STORIES Heartwarming Narratives Ad/> Let's begin with Philippe Coutinho. Last night's game against Leeds was a showcase for Villa's new No 23: one goal, a beautiful hit from a player that only scores beautiful hits, but also two assists, from a player who is often accused, a little unfairly, of only scoring beautiful hits. The pass for Villa's second was a particular delight, a scudding, skating ball through a kinked Leeds defence that drew into Jacob Ramsey's path as if Villa Park were a bowling green.

Premier LeagueGuardiola 'very satisfied' with win over Brentford10 HOURS AGO Delight is the word, for Coutinho is fun. At least, he's fun when he's fit and he's playing well, a state of affairs we haven't seen for some time. It's early days at Villa, of course, and the fact that he managed to jar his knee while kicking the ball did cause concern.

But as it stands, the delightfulness levels are holding steady. (Obviously Leeds rather took the gloss off this part. But we'll get to that.) This is, of course, a well-trodden path: expensive move doesn't go too well; player drifts around for a couple of seasons; smaller club makes opportunistic pitch; everybody is delighted.

There's a nice Disney-like arc to it, along with a fundamental truth about the game: it turns out it's much easier to play football when you're (a) happy and (b) playing football. (And Leeds don't keep popping up to ruin your evening.) /> We're starting to wonder if there was something particularly unwelcoming about Barcelona — the old Barcelona, the one now being rebuilt. Spending money in vast amounts, and badly; picking up players for the splash of it, not the sense; the great distorting presence of the greatest player of all time.