Former Portugal U-21 international João Carvalho sat down for an extended video interview with Maisfutebol, during which he discussed life in England with Nottingham Forest and reflected on his time at Benfica.
Carvalho, 23, has been in England since the summer of 2018 when he arrived as Forest’s record signing in a €15m deal from Benfica. Although one of many players to leave Benfica at a young age, the nature of the midfielder’s departure and his experience with the Eagles clearly represents a sense of regret for Carvalho.
Early adversary
Speaking about his rise through the ranks at the Estadio da Luz, Carvalho told Maisfutebol of his sadness at struggling to make an impact in the Benfica first team, but insisted he learned a lot during his formative years with the B team and during a loan spell with Vitória de Setúbal.
“The coach of the B team at the time, Hélder Cristóvão, always wanted to use the youngest players,” he said. “I remember that I, Renato and Diogo [Gonçalves] went to the B team very early. But the differences were huge: the Liga II has immense quality, and a totally different pace. That adversary was very important.
“The Liga II is very competitive and has very experienced players, who could be our parents. We grew a lot in the Liga II, which is great to evolve in. Perhaps it’s 
the most competitive league in Portugal. [In my first full season] we almost got relegated. It made me aware that I was perhaps not ready to take the next step. Everything was always well planned at Benfica. I never took a step that was too big for me.”
Vitória stint
The next step for Carvalho was to be a loan move to José Couceiro’s Vitória de Setúbal in January 2017, where he played the second half of the season. “Looking back, I only regret a little that I didn't go earlier, at the beginning of January,” Carvalho says. “But it was a very important period: I experienced the other side by playing in a team which was different from Benfica. With players who wanted to win, which is a different reality from the one I had in the B team where the goal is to develop and the result is not so important. The coach liked me a lot and helped me.”
During his spell with Vitória, Carvalho famously scored at the Estádio do Dragão against FC Porto in a 1-1 draw. “Not all players have the chance to say that they managed to score a goal against one of the best goalkeepers ever. Casillas is a football legend and I was fortunate to get that goal, which is the only one I have so far in the Primeira Liga, which makes it all more special.
“Of course [I received messages] yes. And the fact I was a loaned player from Benfica made everything more special. On top of that, I was always a Benfica fan and I also wanted to help them. But more so I wanted to help Vitória achieve a good result at Dragão. But I received many messages, yes. I had never received so many messages, even from players I had never spoken to.”
Sad memories of Benfica
Carvalho returned to Benfica that summer and was made a part of Rui Vitória's first-team squad. Things did not go according to plan, however, with the creative midfielder struggling to make an impression and perhaps failing to take his biggest opportunity during a poor team showing at Belenenses in January 2018.
The match ended in a 1-1 draw thanks to a last-gasp Jonas equaliser and Carvalho was substituted on the hour mark. Opportunities after that were scarce and it would prove the beginning of the end for the youngster, who was sold to Forest a few months later after Benfica lost out on the title to Sérgio Conceição’s Porto.
“I didn't have the best luck in the world [at Benfica] but I feel I could have done more too. I feel like I worked a lot, but maybe I had to work harder. For some reason things did not go well. I had a clear opportunity in the game against Belenenses and I didn't grab it. That hurt remains, and through my own fault I had not many more minutes.
“It knocked my confidence and for a player such as me confidence is important. But what knocked me the most was that we didn't win the championship. I think it was more sadness than hurt. We were on a run of four championships in a row and lost this one. That year a lot of things happened: with a little luck, things could all be different. I left with a lot of sadness, but more personal feeling of guilt.”
English culture
Now Carvalho finds himself in the English East Midlands with two-time European champions Nottingham Forest. During an interesting series of insights into the British experience, Carvalho spoke of the positive and less positive aspects of the game in his current surroundings, where he has already played for three different permanent managers in 18 months.
“Here everything is more intense and aggressive and we finish games with a lot more miles in the legs than in Portugal,” he said. “There are not so good technical players and tactically for sure all the teams in the Primeira Liga are better than the Championship.
“Clubs like Leeds and Nottingham have foreign coaches who have a different tactical culture. The English are purer. They don’t want to know so much about tactics. They care about the result and maybe for them a 6-5 is better than a 1-0. Coaches from abroad are more pragmatic. Things are different here but it’s been good to find.
Karanka, to O’Neill and Keane
“In the first year I had the Spaniard Aitor Karanka who was more concerned with playing good football. I played more with him because maybe I was more suited to the playing culture. He was important for my adaptation and growth in England.
“Martin O'Neill (Karanka’s replacement) was different: he is older and has other ideas. Then we also had Roy Keane as an assistant, and he also has a culture that will never leave his head.
“What is it? A culture of running more, it’s not at all about quality, but about combat. I don't want to speak ill of him, because he was a great player and if I reached his level I would be very proud. But his style as a coach is very similar to what he was about as a player: it is easy to identify. He worked hard and was very tough. As a coach, that's how he is too.
“I stopped playing as much because our style of play changed. Before we had more than 50% of the ball and with them we never had more than 45%. In one season, we had two coaches with different playing philosophies. If we are programmed to play in a way then the change isn’t easy. Things like a defender learning to pass the ball sideways then scolded and told to kick it long. Automatisms had been created.”
So is this the best league in terms of suitability to the stylish Portuguese? “My style doesn’t fit too much with the English. Honestly I still think English coaches have a way to go. And in recent years the best coaches in England are foreign. And that’s a strong message.” Asked about suggestions that the football could be boring, Carvalho disagreed: “I think that is said about weaker teams playing each other, but with the pure approach I spoke about I think it’s impossible to fall asleep. As the teams are tactically weaker, there’s always a lot going on.”
Stay on your feet
Comparisons to Portuguese football culture are inevitable and Carvalho picked up on a few differences in the way the game is felt by supporters and critics. “I think [the fans have an impact] yes because if I stopped a counter-attack by passing the ball backwards because we were winning there would probably be whistles. They prefer us to score goals and it’s not easy because we are emotional and we have the fans telling us to go for goal.
“It is easier to analyse Portuguese football from the outside looking in. There is a lot of quality, but football is being hampered by many things that shouldn't exist. In England, for example, it is impossible to have programmes where we only speak about referees. And that’s a big difference to Portugal.
“Even in relation to playing the game, I recognise that there are times when I go down because of the culture that exists in Portugal and it’s not right. But it happens less and less. Here the chance of winning a free kick is 10% while in Portugal it’s 70-80%. And the players know that and take advantage of it. In Portugal there are many stoppages and this affects the game.”
“Without doubt I would take a pay-cut”
For now, Carvalho is waiting to be called back to the club’s facilities, having been told that mid-May is the planned time to resume training ahead of completing the Championship season. Carvalho is currently isolating along with his girlfriend, having already lived through a scary period after Forest’s owner tested positive for Covid-19.
“The situation was different compared to if it were to happen now,” admits Carvalho who revealed he has some concerns about the social distancing practised on the streets in England. “I remember two days before the owner tested positive, I greeted him maybe four times. At that time, there were not many cases of young people testing positive and even less with consequences. I was not too worried, but if it were now I would certainly be much more worried."
Finally, Carvalho was asked if he would be willing to take a pay-cut to help his club cover lost earnings. “Until now we have not heard anything about that. I think clubs here are more stable financially than in Portugal. Would I take a cut? Without a doubt. Right now, everyone has to help and if we did we would be helping a lot of people and saving a lot of jobs.”
via Maisfutebol
