Fábio Carvalho: Liverpool loanee looks to replace Dominik Szoboszlai at Leipzig
Fábio Carvalho will have some big shoes to fill this season at RB Leipzig. On loan from Liverpool, the 20-year-old, who has last represented Portugal’s U21, was signed as a replacement for Dominik Szoboszlai—the Hungarian national team player headed the other direction joining the Premier League club in a deal worth €70 million. Officially, the two transfers were separate deals, but there is certainly a feeling in Germany that Carvalho will be a big part of the puzzle for Leipzig in their attempt to replace the Hungarian star.
“I don’t really like to speak about other players,” Fabio Carvalho said as part of a roundtable for international journalists in which Transfermarkt was present when he was asked about Leipzig’s plan with him and whether he could replace the Hungarian. “Obviously, everyone knows that Szoboszlai is a very good player. But I have confidence in myself and believe in myself, and I have confidence that I can give my best to RB Leipzig.”
Indeed, it would be difficult for any player to replace Szoboszlai’s creative output at RB Leipzig. The 22-year-old managed 20 goals and 22 assists in 91 games across all competitions for Leipzig. Furthermore, Szoboszlai scored an incredible goal in the DFB Pokal final against Frankfurt this season, which pretty much wrapped up the second competitive title in that competition for RB Leipzig. With all that in mind, Leipzig will most certainly look to Carvalho to replace some of that output for his new club.
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Fábio Carvalho: "My skill set is to be creative on the ball"
When Carvalho did speak about his skills, there was some indication that he could do exactly that for the Red Bulls. “I would say I’m a creative player, and I’m good on the ball,” Carvalho said when asked about his skillsets. “I work hard as well, not just for myself but for the entire team. My skill set is to be creative on the ball, on the counter, and on the attack. I am a fan of finding the right pass and to shoot. I like to score.” That last part sounds quite a bit like Szoboszlai. After all, the Hungarian’s ability to either find the right pass or unpack an incredible shot is what made him one of the most dangerous players in the league.
In fact, when comparing the two players on the stats platform Wyscout, the shot statistics were quite similar over the last calendar year. While Szoboszlai managed 2.14 shots per 90 minutes, Carvalho had 2.06 shots per minute. The Liverpool loanee, however, had a better conversion rate with 17.647% over Szoboszlai’s 10.577%. Of course, Szoboszlai did play more minutes, and it is hard to compare different environments. Yet the numbers are an interesting indicator that Carvalho could help fill the void left by the Hungarian in terms of production.
Tactically, however, there might be some differences. Unlike Szoboszlai, who played more on the wing, Carvalho sees himself as a no. 10. “I feel like why it didn’t work out at Liverpool was because of the position I was playing,” Carvalho said hinting at the fact that he may have been promised a different role than he ultimately played. “I was playing on the left, which isn’t really my position. I was told that I would play as a no.10, but we didn’t really play with a no.10 last year. When we play with a no.10, then I can get on my prominent side, and I am able to turn. That’s why I would say it didn’t work out, and whether I will be here or at Liverpool next year, we will have to see how it works out.”
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Carvalho is certain that he will be a better fit in Marco Rose’s XI than was the case under Klopp. “He told me I will be one of the no.10s, and he knows what I can improve on and has been helping me every day. Right now, we are mostly working on my position, and he knows I am good on the ball, so we have been working off the ball, especially as that is crucial at RB Leipzig on how we play and press to win the ball back quickly.”
In fact, it feels like, in terms of communication, Rose also has been an improvement from what Carvalho experienced at Liverpool. “I don’t really speak to him, to be fair,” Carvalho said when asked whether Jürgen Klopp gave him any advice about his new club. “He didn’t really give me any advice. I just had to learn as I go, and I feel that is better for me to mature anyway. Both as a person and a footballer.”
In fact, Transfermarkt understands that Carvalho was never fully in Klopp's plans, and instead, the player was pushed onto the popular German manager by people no longer involved in the club's transfer business. It, therefore, remains to be seen whether Carvalho's future will be in Liverpool, Leipzig or another club. Without a doubt, much will depend on how Carvalho will perform on the field in the Bundesliga and Champions League over the coming season.
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Nguyen Dang Phong
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