Cancelu suddenly left for Bayern. He played little after the World Cup and had a fight with Pep

The main surprise of the last week of the transfer window: Bayern Munich loan Joao Cancela from Manchester City. The Portuguese defender will play in the Bundesliga until at least the end of the season, according to Sky Sport journalist Florian Plettenberg.

Canselu is already in Munich, then – a medical examination. Bayern will have the right to buy the player for 70 million euros.

After the World Cup, Canselu almost did not play and was dissatisfied. He had a fight with Pep before the match against Arsenal

Why did Man City refuse a defender who is unique in terms of playing and tactical characteristics? Joao was named to the Premier League All-Star Team last season. And a year ago, he extended the contract with the champions of England until 2027.

Let’s sum up the insiders from the English-language media:

• In the 10 games since the World Cup, Cancelo has only started three times for City. And these were unsuccessful matches: a defeat in the Manchester derby, a failure with Southampton in the League Cup, and in a winning game with Chelsea, the Portuguese stayed on the field for the entire half and was replaced.

It is noteworthy that in the course of the tournament, Cancelo fell out of the base of the Portuguese national team in Katera.

• Canselu did not hide his displeasure. For example, before the game with Wolverhampton, Joao did not warm up with other substitutes, but lay down on the bench.

• It came to swearing with Guardiola. The most acute conflict happened in training before the recent match against Arsenal in the Cup, when Joao found out about missing the squad.

• Tactical changes have also affected Cancelo’s playing time. With the rise of young Rico Lewis and his bold right-back interpretation of the game, Pep needs more conservative action from left-back. And Nathan Ake does a great job with that.

• Canselu’s behavior “began to have a negative impact on the team”.

“I’m not the kind of person to say ‘stay with me’. Everyone has dreams. People should leave when they think it’s best. As for the players, they should leave if they are unhappy with the team. Life is too short, ”Pep has repeatedly voiced his principles. And they worked again.

It looks like Bayern will get a new Lam. The analogy was drawn by Guardiola himself

Cancelu’s first months in Manchester were not easy either.

According to The Athletic, after moving to City from Juventus (for 65 million euros in the summer of 2019), he kept himself as isolated as possible. After leaving the lockdown, he finally began to integrate into the team and the game. Here is a short summary from Pep:

“At first he was confused by our demands. He was expecting something we couldn’t offer him, but he’s a nice guy with an incredible physique.”

Sources from The Athletic journalist Sam Lee said Cancelo initially expected to be used as a classic right-back who actively connects forward and creates width in attack. The good form of Kyle Walker and Pep’s love for false fullbacks painted a different reality: not the right, but rather the left flank, not dashes to the front, but shifts to midfield, not a guaranteed place at the base, but competition with Zinchenko and Mendy.

Cancelu got used to this role for several months (sometimes – alternating it with classic connections, which were hampered by the non-working left). The peak came at the beginning of 2021. Then, after Pep’s tactical reshuffling , City issued a series of 15 victories in the Premier League, which allowed them to eject from a place in the middle of the table (yes, there was such a thing) to a confident first.

According to Ilkay Gundogan, it was Kanselu’s form that gave impetus: “Then he began to enter the center of the field more often, thanks to this we got a numerical advantage there and could play too much. Joao controls the ball well and keeps it in his possession, parting with it at the right moment and finding partners with a pass. It didn’t surprise me that he did such a great job in this role. In addition, he has great speed, so he can quickly get back to the flank and start defending it.”

Reflecting Cancelo’s progress in this role is a beautiful comparison to Philippe Lahm. Even more valuable is that the compliment came personally from Pep, the man who not only coached Lam at Bayern, but also made him a false full-back:

“Right now Joao is playing like Philipp Lahm in Bayern. Lam was the best player for shifting from the flank of the defense to the defensive end. I would not have thought that I would see a fullback who first moves into the center of midfield, and then attacks from there. Joao also has this quality. His natural position is right wing, but he can play both wings and pass with either foot.”

Canselu really looks like Lam, and he manages to sharpen from the depths both through technique and through jerks

City are not looking for a replacement because there is a young Rico Lewis who flew into the base and seated the stars

ESPN added details on the move: City are unlikely to be looking for a replacement for Cancel. Guardiola thinks he has enough defenders.

First of all, this is the talented Rico Lewis from the City academy. The 18-year-old defender flashed as Cancelu and Walker frowned on the bench. Pep already calls him little Lam (yes, again, comparison with Philip) – there really is a lot in common between them.