William Carvalho 2019/20 – scout report

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. Carvalho’s smart positioning was key to that  he registered 6.54 recoveries/90 mins, with 40% of them in the opposition half. Moreover, Setién’s side dominated possession with 59.4% per match last season (2nd in La Liga). That allowed a defensive midfielder to take up a high position. From there, Carvalho can show off his on-ball skills: dribbling, short combinations, through balls, etc.

How will Carvalho be used in Rubi’s system?

There are notable similarities and differences between Setién and Rubi’s style of play. They both take a possession-based approach and lets the team play from the back. However, one big difference is that Rubi prefers the popular four-man defence, while Setién persisted in using a back three. In Betis’ first three La Liga matches this season, Rubi has deployed 4-2-3-1, 4-4-2 flat and 4-3-1-2 formations. Carvalho is mainly expected to be part of a double pivot, but he can definitely play as a single pivot. He was at the base of Betis’ midfield diamond in the last match against Leganes.

The pi