You take the good with the bad when it comes to João Cancelo.
At Barcelona, in both his first and second spell, he really does seem to feel at home. In large part, that’s because he’s an attack-minded defender, playing at an attack-minded club, for a very attack-minded manager.
You can fairly criticize the weaknesses in his defensive game, but if you focus too much on it, you’re missing the point.
Barcelona, in recent history in particular, is a club where the full-backs are directly involved in goal
creation.
That’s why Dani Alves and Jordi Alba are club legends, and a barometer by which we judge others at the position, while others like Nelson Semedo and Junior Firpo had short tenures that few remember.
When Cancelo was signed in January, it made sense to be skeptical. Barcelona needed a center-back first and foremost, and to the extent that a full-back would be helpful, perhaps it was one who could shore up a vulnerable backline that was being run past with ease.
Hansi Flick, however, a broken record to his credit, has insisted that the best defense, in his system at least, is an unstoppable offense.
João Cancelo, in that regard, has been the perfect fit for Flick at just the right time.
With Alejandro Balde and Jules Kounde going down with short-term injuries, Cancelo has become indispensable. With the opportunity given to him, he has been one of the main creative engines for Barcelona, and he has also done very little wrong defensively.
The game against Sevilla was his masterclass. He drew two penalties by running at defenders in the box, and scored a wondergoal off the dribble with an audacious run that few full-backs around the world are capable of.
He doesn’t do it with physicality, that’s more of Balde’s game, but rather with pure skill, confidence, and instinct.
As a modern full-back, it really does help to be two footed. Again, the fact that Balde is so dependent on his left foot makes him predictable and somewhat easy to shut down.
So what will Flick do when Balde and Jules Kounde return?
It will be hard to not choose Kounde in the biggest games, but perhaps out of caution, Flick will want to rotate him against smaller opponents in La Liga.
The biggest debate will happen around the left full-back position.
My bet is that Cancelo and Balde will alternate. Flick may be cautious with the return of Balde as well, and continue to ride Cancelo so long as he continues to perform.
The wildcard is if we see Gerard Martín or Xavi Espart feature in the position.
Flick will be keeping his fingers crossed during the international break that his team returns unscathed.
If they do, he will have important players returning to the lineup soon to give some relief to the tired legs who have done so much good over the past few weeks.
In many ways, success for Barcelona will be an internal battle of attrition. Flick will have an important job to do to ensure his players stay as fresh as they can possibly be.
