Fabio Carvalho appears to have fallen entirely out of favour under Jurgen Klopp of late, but he insists him and the manager are “always talking.”
With high hopes surrounding him upon his arrival from Fulham in the summer, Carvalho took up a regular role in the first months of the season.
But upon the return from the World Cup he has barely touched the pitch, featuring in only two out of Liverpool’s 10 games since the restart.
Those were starts against Man City in the Carabao Cup and Wolves in the FA Cup third-round replay at Molineux, missing two games through injury and going unused in the other six.
He was, again, overlooked in the 3-0 defeat to Wolves in the Premier League at the weekend, leading the suggestions that Klopp has already lost faith in his No. 28.
?? “He’s always talking to me, he’s always telling me what I should be doing and what I’m doing wrong which is constructive criticism and that’s how you improve.”
Fábio Carvalho on his relationship with Jürgen Klopp. ? pic.twitter.com/iXNi896h2s
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) February 6, 2023
In an interview with Sky Sports, Carvalho revealed the “constructive criticism” his manager is affording him during a strange run.
“He’s always talking to me,” he said.
“He’s always telling me what I should be doing and what I’m doing wrong, which is just constructive criticism.
“That’s how you improve.
“Him and his staff are always trying to help, always trying to make sure that we get everything we need to be good for game day.”
It is no surprise that Carvalho has not been heavily involved in recent weeks, with Liverpool struggling for form and the Portuguese having yet to show he can consistently influence games.
But that he has not played at all in the league since coming off the bench for the final three minutes of the 3-1 win over Southampton on November 12 is striking.
For his last start in the league you have to go back to October 22, and the 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest; a second consecutive start, but one that saw him only play 62 minutes before brought off.
Carvalho has seen himself kept out of a place on the left wing by an out-of-position Harvey Elliott, with Curtis Jones also turned to out wide over the 20-year-old.
Now, it is hard to see his way back into the starting lineup for key games, with Klopp expected to rely on Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah as his first-choice attack.
That is not to say the door is closed for Carvalho, but there is clearly work needed.
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