New recruit Fabio Carvalho made his second Liverpool appearance on Friday as the Reds beat Crystal Palace 2-0 at Singapore's National Stadium in Kallang.
A goal in both halves from Jordan Henderson and Mohamed Salah proved the difference in the contest with Jurgen Klopp’s side putting in a much-improved display from their 4-0 defeat to Manchester United.
Like was the case against Erik ten Hag’s side three days earlier, Klopp made a host of changes throughout the fixture, with Carvalho joining the proceedings in the second half along with some big hitters like Salah, Virgil Van Dijk, Trent Alexander Arnold and Darwin Nunez.
Surprisingly, the 19-year-old initially lined up on the left of Liverpool's attack, which is a position that should be unfamiliar as predominately throughout his standout campaign in the Championship last season with Fulham - where he registered 18 league goal contributions - Carvalho was most often used as a No.10 inside Marco Silva's favoured 4-2-3-1 formation.
This No.10 role played to his strengths as he is great at dropping in between the lines, receiving passes on the turn and threading dangerous balls into the box.
As Liverpool have no place for a No.10 in their 4-3-3 formation, it wasn't a huge shock to see him start in a No.8 role against United, as that seemed the best-suited option. However, seeing him line up and perform well out on the left against Palace was a reminder of his impressive versatility which is something Klopp has spoken about on more than one occasion.
Speaking to the Reds' official website last week, he said: "Fabio, wow, what a season he played with Fulham. Getting promoted [with a] football-playing [style], properly football-playing, is not easy.
"When we watched him it was a pure joy to watch him, absolutely. He can play so many different positions for us, the way we play. At the minute he’s not really set on one position – it’s the wing, it’s the eight, it’s the 10, it’s the false nine if he grows a few more muscles.
“It’s a short-term and a long-term project; he can start tomorrow and he needs to adapt, you can see that a little bit, but when he has the ball that’s proper quality. I’m over the moon that he’s here. Fantastic prospect.”
It’s easy to see why Klopp finds Carvalho’s versatility so appealing, and although the German boss has been loyal to playing a 4-3-3 in most of his seasons in charge at Anfield, the teenager can play a big part in opening doors for more tactical adjustments in the future.
In the short term though, Carvalho featuring more on the Reds’ left can also mean he can accumulate more minutes in attack alongside Nunez and Salah, as was the case on Friday. Luis Diaz has done a stellar job on that side of the pitch since his arrival back in January and is sure to be the first choice for that position throughout the season.
Yet rotation is always key as Liverpool compete for honours on multiple fronts, meaning Carvalho should be handed plenty of chances to play his part within what would be a potential mouthwatering trio.
