Fabio Carvalho admits that Liverpool don’t really use his favourite position. The teenager doesn’t mind, though.
Fabio Carvalho gave an interview with Viaplay recently in which he was asked about his favourite position. It turns out, however, that one of his best roles simply isn’t available at Liverpool.
“Either left-hand side or maybe in the middle of the park as a 10,” says Carvalho on where he likes to paly. “But we don’t really play with a 10 here.
“As long as I’m playing, that’s all that matters to be fair.”
Carvalho made his name at Fulham last season playing as a no.10. He’s operate behind Aleksander Mitrovic to great effect, earning a place in the Championship Team of the Year.
At Liverpool, however, he doesn’t get a chance to play like that.
Fabio Carvalho and his favourite position
It is a ‘problem’ but Carvalho is still very young. Your favourite – or best – position can easily change when you’re 20 and largely depends on where your club develops you.
But there’s no doubt that Carvalho’s qualities suit a traditional no.10 position. He’s agile, has quick feet and loves drifting between the lines – there’s no great secret as to why he excelled there for Fulham.
Liverpool, though, don’t use one. The 4-3-3 uses two no.8s, effectively, while the 4-4-2 does have a player just behind the striker but it’s more of a second-striker than an attacking midfielder.
That transition to 4-4-2 at least suggests that Jurgen Klopp could try a player between the lines, though. Maybe it’s something we see in the upcoming months – a proper no.10 playing behind Darwin Nunez or Mohamed Salah.
Carvalho’s only ‘problem’ there is that both Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott would quite like that role, too. And that’s part of Klopp’s own problem right now. He has three young attacking midfielders, all of whom want in the team.
Finding a future in the XI for all three is a big task – and finding room for at least one no.10 could be an answer.
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