o, what happened?
For one thing, there had been a concern
about his defensive impact in a Klopp midfield, as that is not a key strength. But those with knowledge of the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity like all those consulted for this piece, point out that he was not an easy fit into the German’s system.
The only question mark surrounding his transfer was where exactly he was going to fit into the Liverpool setup. Carvalho was a hard-working yet creative and goalscoring No 10, a player who could play off the left but was at his best as an advanced midfielder. But Klopp had adopted a 4-3-3 system that did not include a player more at home in such an advanced midfield role. It is a position that has not been used since
Philippe Coutinho’s departure to
Barcelona more than five years ago.
Initially, there was an expectation that Klopp would incorporate more of that type of role into his tactical setup and that introduction would be to the benefit of Carvalho. However, with Liverpool stumbling out of the blocks and injuries cutting through their midfield, it became more difficult for Klopp to evolve his game plan, and that worked against Carvalho. This would play out over the remainder of the season.
Liverpool’s poor form and struggles in the league did not see a change in Carvalho’s minutes. He had wanted to play more and had honest conversations with Klopp, including approaching the manager to ask for more game time. A loan was discussed in January, but it was decided it would be better for Carvalho’s development to spend the rest of his debut year with Liverpool. He continued to train well and drew public praise from Klopp for that.
o, what happened?
For one thing, there had been a concern
about his defensive impact in a Klopp midfield, as that is not a key strength. But those with knowledge of the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity like all those consulted for this piece, point out that he was not an easy fit into the German’s system.
The only question mark surrounding his transfer was where exactly he was going to fit into the Liverpool setup. Carvalho was a hard-working yet creative and goalscoring No 10, a player who could play off the left but was at his best as an advanced midfielder. But Klopp had adopted a 4-3-3 system that did not include a player more at home in such an advanced midfield role. It is a position that has not been used since
Philippe Coutinho’s departure to
Barcelona more than five years ago.
Initially, there was an expectation that Klopp would incorporate more of that type of role into his tactical setup and that introduction would be to the benefit of Carvalho. However, with Liverpool stumbling out of the blocks and injuries cutting through their midfield, it became more difficult for Klopp to evolve his game plan, and that worked against Carvalho. This would play out over the remainder of the season.
Liverpool’s poor form and struggles in the league did not see a change in Carvalho’s minutes. He had wanted to play more and had honest conversations with Klopp, including approaching the manager to ask for more game time. A loan was discussed in January, but it was decided it would be better for Carvalho’s development to spend the rest of his debut year with Liverpool. He continued to train well and drew public praise from Klopp for that.
