A bit tricky for the player when stuff like this comes out publicly, but it’s not like it will ruin his career.
We don’t know all the details of course, but if you hear it from one or two sources, there might be enough truth in it.
Big deal, not every 20-21 year old is this incredibly driven professional who works as hard as the most hard working guy.
Even if it’s a loan and even if there are clauses over game time (though no clause, especially at the highest level, will guarantee you a bunch of starts), yes, you need to give 100% and earn that game time. Take it as seriously as if he was battling at Liverpool.
Who says that Leipzig didn’t have one eye on potentially buying him? They were the ones who initially wanted a permanent deal, we wanted only a loan. Were there other options? Was the player only willing to go to Leipzig? I did have certain reservation whether this was a smart loan, but when we talk about it, all 3 parties carry certain responsibility.
Who says that a lot of other Bundesliga clubs (or top 5 European leagues in general) weren’t interested to see if Carvalho was another one in the line of these kids from rich English clubs who might do well in Germany? And if he doesn’t cut it at Liverpool or Leipzig, they take him, instead of him dropping down to bloody Hull City of all places.
Football isn’t an exact science, but perhaps that move tells us most of the truth about Carvalho’s current reality and where he stands in the opinion of football people. Yeah, maybe he does have to do more, if he wants to be a top level player.
Xavi Simons is also an important factor (there was no guarantees how well he would do), but a pretty poor argument to have it as the only explanation.
He’s neither Leipzig’s only offensive player nor was Carvalho competing for only one offensive spot. Leipzig always play with 4 offensive players, sometimes flipping the formation. Their usual structure is more of a 4-2-2-2 version of 4-4-2. Even if they mostly play with two strikers, Carvalho has at least two positions he can compete for.
Simons was also mainly used off the right side, basically replacing Szoboszlai from last season. Now that’s an interesting one because one would say, a right footed combining player, well, he must prefer playing off the left. Perhaps a nice lesson for Carvalho how a “better” talent than him did a job where maybe he doesn’t prefer playing.
Who was used on the left in the first half of the season? Emil Forsberg, who they just sold to the MLS and Christoph Baumgartner (who was/is also on paper part of Leipzig’s 4 strikers, albeit probably the last choice for that role). Dani Olmo was injured for the most part of the first half of the season and Carvalho would’ve probably played even less if he was fit.
Overall, Carvalho came to Liverpool at a point of us almost winning 4 trophies. On the back of playing a season in the Championship. If he’s not of the calibre to cut it at Liverpool or Leipzig right now, it’s perhaps not much of a surprise. Maybe that level was also too high for him. Doesn’t help his case if he really didn’t give 100%.
Nothing is lost, hopefully has a better second half of the season, works on his weaknesses (be it football related or having a better approach) and we’ll see him in the summer. My early guess is that it’ll be another loan.
