Liverpool have a 21-year-old player who could benefit the most by Ruben Amorim’s appointment at Anfield.
Ruben Amorim is the favourite candidate to succeed Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool this season. The Portuguese manager has been identified as someone who has a similar style of Klopp.
He’s also got a proven track record and is now on track to win his second league title at Sporting CP. That’s after helping Sporting CP to their first league title in 19 years.
Amorim’s high defensive line, and high risk, high reward strategy is very much similar to that of Klopp’s gegenpress. Like Klopp, Amorim likes his teams to push high up the pitch and pressure their opponents.
However, there are some distinct differences between Amorim’s philosophy and Klopp’s. Amorim’s press definitely isn’t as intense as Klopp’s heavy metal football.
He also uses a different formation to the Liverpool boss.
Ruben Amorim’s system and who could benefit at Liverpool
Since the beginning of his managerial career, Ruben Amorim has deployed a 3-4-3 system. This system sees Amorim playing with a back three, and wing-backs.
It’s starkly different to Klopp’s system, where there are only two centre-backs and three midfielders.
In Amorim’s system, defensive stability is ensured by a stable back three, while there are two holding midfielders in front of them. Meanwhile, the wing-backs push forward really high up the pitch.
The two ‘wingers’ in Amorim’s system in the front three invert at the same time, and push closer to the centre. Becoming almost like numbers tens in the process rather than typical wingers.
This means players who are capable of playing in those number ten roles could be the real winners in Amorim’s system. And there’s one 21-year-old who fits that profile perfectly.
Why Fabio Carvalho could be the real winner in Amorim appointment
Fabio Carvalho is really highly rated at Liverpool despite not getting a lot of game time under Jurgen Klopp. Even Klopp himself has described him as an ‘outstanding’ prospect in the past.
Right now, he is back in great form while on loan at Hull City and has scored six goals in his last eight matches for the club.
In Klopp’s system, Carvalho never really fit the picture at Liverpool. He was neither suited to playing on the wing, nor was he the right fit to play in midfield.
But in Amorim’s system, where wingers invert and play like attacking midfielders, Carvalho definitely has a role to play.
That plus his Portugal connection, having been born in Lisbon and speaking fluent Portuguese could mean Carvalho could be a major winner if Amorim was appointed as manager of Liverpool.