It's official - Pep Guardiola was RIGHT about Joao Cancelo

Cameron Smith

• 22 Apr 2024 09:55 BST
• 4 min read

Joao Cancelo was a key figure as Pep Guardiola introduced inverted full-backs to the Premier League, with the Manchester City boss asking the former Juventus man to move into midfield when in possession.

So, his unceremonious exit last January came as a huge surprise.

Cancelo joined Bayern Munich on a six-month loan deal before being loaned out to Barcelona for the 2023-24 campaign. His start to life at Barcelona was excellent, but his defensive frailties have been exposed in recent weeks and his last two appearances have been woeful.

READ MORE: Arsenal suffer crucial blow in Joao Cancelo chase

The Portuguese international gave away a needless penalty during the Blaugrana’s 4-1 Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night, with Ousmane Dembele going down under a late challenge despite posing no threat in the corner of the penalty area.

Kylian Mbappe slotted home the resulting spot kick to make it 3-1 on the night, with Cancelo also at fault for PSG’s first goal after switching off at the back post and allowing Dembele to sneak in and score.

An exact repeat of that Dembele goal happened during Barcelona’s 3-2 El Clasico loss on Sunday night too. Lucas Vazquez was able to finish at the far post, with Cancelo unaware of the Spaniard’s presence.

READ MORE: Real Madrid to win race for Man City star who 'dreams' of Barcelona

In fact, Vazquez tore Cancelo to shreds during the game. For Vinicius Jr’s equaliser in the 18th minute, Vazquez somehow beat the Barcelona man down the line, with Cancelo putting in an extremely weak challenge, before being brought down by Pau Cubarsi.

Then, the ex-Man City star made no attempt to cut out Vazquez’s last-minute cross, which was converted by Jude Bellingham at the far post.

Pep Guardiola was right about Joao Cancelo

Cancelo’s defending has never been his strength, but he has cost Barcelona in two consecutive matches in the last week and it’s clear that Guardiola was right to remove him from Man City’s squad.

The reigning treble winners look a far more solid defensive unit without Cancelo and it’s perhaps no surprise that they finally won the Champions League with Nathan Ake and Kyle Walker at full-back - two players who excel at defending.

As for Cancelo, that is his biggest weakness. After his display against Barcelona, Netherlands football icon Frank de Boer told Dutch TV: “Now I know why Pep doesn’t like Cancelo. This man plays his own football and thinks it’s only about what you do with the ball. Damn, you’re a defender!”

Fellow Dutch legend Marco van Basten then added: “It’s insane how Cancelo still makes the same mistakes at his age.”

Arsenal’s interest in Cancelo has been well-reported, but there’s no doubt Mikel Arteta may be rethinking a pursuit of the Portuguese international after watching his performances against PSG and Barcelona.