#27 | João Cancelo - 2021/22 Performances

[alexmcity]

We all know about his influence in possession, but less emphasis is placed on just how good of a defender he is.

In the period between 1 January and 30 November, Opta stats show no left-back considered for 90min's Welcome to World Class series came close to equalling his 103 recorded tackles. His closest challenger was Bayern Munich wunderkind Alphonso Davies, he racked up 77.

Cancelo also led the way for interceptions, managing a whopping 75 in total. 18 clean sheets for club and country tells the same story, with clearances the only defensive metric that he was bested on by the other nominees in Welcome to World Class.

 

[hutton who blue]

A couple of months back some muppet posted he was over rated

 

[domalino]

The big shift has been that now he's more frequently chipping in with goals and assists (10 total so far in all comps), which has allowed him to step up into elite attacking fullback territory. Last season for all the good football he was a bit lacking in this regard (8 total across the season in all comps)

In his first 91 games he got 10 goals and assists.

In the last 9 he's gotten 8 goals and assists.

He flattered to deceive massively last season. He was playing amazing football, which got everyone excited, and then butchering easy passes for assists or hitting it into the 3rd tier when through on goal.

He's finally found the end product, and it changes everything.

The problem is he's still second choice RB, and Pep still doesn't like having a right footer on the left.

 

[ninjamonkey]

A couple of months back some muppet posted he was over rated

Go back to the summer and you'll find vastly more than one muppet.

 

[BlueMoonAcrossThePond]

A couple of months back some muppet posted he was over rated

Fake post! :-)

A lot of us were unhappy with Cancelo in the past. But he's proven us wrong.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Cancelo has emerged as perhaps our best midfield (yes I know he's nominally a right/left back) passer - perhaps surpassing KDB.

Cancelo - left open - or when covered - kills the opposition. Mostly due to assists - but he's honed his shooting skills too. Cancelo can kill the opposition through assists - or by individual effort with goals.

And, too, Cancelo has become much, much, much better on defense.
===
I hated Cancelo 6 to 8 months ago - a waste of space.

Now... I've completely changed my opinion. Cancelo has been our 2nd best player this season so far - only behind Bernardo.

 

[Akira]

At least for me, back then, it was plain to see the lad had bags of technique, but it's about achieving more with that talent he has. Also, was a little wanting in defense, but he has improved since then.

Pep always strives to make his players better than they currently are. Pep sets his demands for Cancelo and he has shown so far he has achieved it, and long may it continue.

IMO, it's a similar case with Grealish. The talent is there, but what Pep wants is more than a couple good touches and the odd decent dribble. It's about what you do with that talent that keeps you in his team.

 

[OrigamiNinja]

Reading some of the posts you would think his performances during what effectively became our title-winning run last year didn’t happen. We all know his form fell off a cliff at the end of last season but before that, he along with Gundo were the main catalysts for our change in fortunes. When he started moving centrally into midfield from full back, we as a team went up a few levels.

The idea that he has only just started performing is nonsense. He was excellent for the majority of last season and was in the TOTY. He has also been excellent this season and will arguably find himself in TOTY again, possibly even as a left back.

His recent goals/assists are an added bonus. He was already a fantastic footballer for us.

We are lucky that he finally seems to have found the right club for him.

 

[FromPollockToSilva]

Reading some of the posts you would think his performances during what effectively became our title-winning run last year didn’t happen. We all know his form fell off a cliff at the end of last season but before that, he along with Gundo were the main catalysts for our change in fortunes. When he started moving centrally into midfield from full back, we as a team went up a few levels.

The idea that he has only just started performing is nonsense. He was excellent for the majority of last season and was in the TOTY. He has also been excellent this season and will arguably find himself in TOTY again, possibly even as a left back.

His recent goals/assists are an added bonus. He was already a fantastic footballer for us.

We are lucky that he finally seems to have found the right club for him.

See also: Rodri

 

[Galvanoth]

Fake post! :-)

A lot of us were unhappy with Cancelo in the past. But he's proven us wrong.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Cancelo has emerged as perhaps our best midfield (yes I know he's nominally a right/left back) passer - perhaps surpassing KDB.

People have always doubt him in the beginning in all the clubs he's been through, but he always ends up proving them wrong by being one of the best in those teams.

 

[Chi-town blues]

New contract soon ?