Club record signing Joao Carvalho is convinced he and fellow Portuguese Tiago Silva can work well together for Nottingham Forest.
Carvalho has struggled for regular game time this season and hasn’t quite been able to show the full extent of his talent under Sabri Lamouchi.
Silva, by contrast, has enjoyed a good first term in English football and has frequently occupied the No.10 spot favoured by his teammate.
It has meant Carvalho has sometimes been deployed on the wing - a role he is happy to fulfil to secure a place in the side.
Asked if he and Silva are compatible together for the Reds, Carvalho told maisfutebol: “This has already been said publicly by our assistant, Bruno Baltazar: our style of play is more pragmatic, more Italian, because our manager has already worked in Italy.
“We are also not a team that has a lot of ball possession and in games where we have more, we don't win.
“We also play better away from home than at home and that ends up justifying the options.
“Tiago is also doing an excellent job. He is a great player and the team wins a lot with him.
“I help him to be a better player and he also helps me to be better. But I think we could play both.”
Asked how they could both fit into the starting XI, the midfielder added: “When I was in Setúbal, I played on the left many times and I think it went very well.
“Last season I also played the last three games on the left side and this year I already played some on the left and they did well for me.
“But there are more intense and aggressive games, where we have to adapt to opponents.
“I'm sure the coach is making the right decisions, because we are in a good position, but without a doubt that disadvantages me a little.”
Carvalho and Silva are part of a strong Portuguese contingent at the City Ground, which also includes defenders Yuri Ribeiro and Tobias Figueiredo.
“Certainly the Portuguese players bring a lot of quality to Nottingham, which would certainly be a different team if we weren't here, because we bring different football and that pleases them,” he said of Forest fans.
“The English are not used to seeing different football in the Championship, where there are many teams with a very direct way of playing.”
