William Carvalho was arguably the most important player in Portugal’s 2016 Euro-winning side. Despite the attention from big clubs throughout the years, he only left his beloved Sporting Lisbon last season. He quickly became an integral part of Quique Setién’s Real Betis. However, another manager – former Espanyol coach Rubi – is now in charge, bringing with him a less conservative possession style. In this scout report, we will use tactical analysis to demonstrate Carvalho’s main strengths, and how he will adapt to Rubi’s system.
Style of play
Carvalho mainly plays as a defensive midfielder. He can also play as a centre back or as a central mid – the latter is his main position at the Portugal national team. According to Whoscored, William is a great passer. He is good with through balls and dribbling. In addition, he commits few errors. Like his former teammate Giovani Lo Celso, he is a good team player and loves to do layoffs.
The heatmap below indicates Carvalho’s high work rate. His actions mainly spread around the middle third. His most intense action areas (coloured in red) are the centre circle and the part of the middle third in the opposition half. Setién’s Real Betis were a high pressing team – he liked to win the ball back early.
If you want to read the full scout report on this player, head over to totalfootballanalysis.com or click HERE
If you love tactical analysis, then you’ll love the digital magazines from totalfootballanalysis.com – a guaranteed 100+ pages of pure tactical analysis covering topics from the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga and many, many more. Buy your copy of the August issue for just ₤4.99 here, or even better sign up for a ₤50 annual membership (12 monthly issues plus the annual review) right here.
