The possibility of Joao Cancelo returning to Manchester City was left open. Because of his loan stint at Munich.
Cancelo had a non-obligatory option to be purchased by Bayern. And following a swift adjustment to life in Munich, appeared that he was prepared to leave. While the full-back and Pep Guardiola both maintaining that no decision has been made about Cancelo’s future. His farewell post to City fans felt like a farewell.
With the dreaded back three making a successful comeback in the eight games since he left. City have found a measure of comfort in life without Cancelo. Ake has remained one of City’s most reliable performers this season, and Bernardo has excelled in the ‘false left-back’ position.
The back three is a strategy that should see City through the current campaign until the persistent left-back issue. Ake, Sergio Gomez, and Rico Lewis are all options for Guardiola to use a back four. A more conventional left-back.
Ake has been complimented by Guardiola for improving other players and for his ability to improve those around him. He said nearly the same thing about Bernardo on Saturday.
Bernardo’s ability to control City’s rhythm and improve the team’s performance, according to Guardiola, makes him “unique in the world,” and his long-term future for City — as long as that continues — appears to be in midfield. Yet, Guardiola is able to field all four of Bernardo, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne, and Ilkay Gundogan by using him as left-back cover. Gundogan or Bernardo may not be at City next season, but for now, it’s a way for Guardiola to have the control he so frequently longs for.
Cancelo and Bayern Munich doesn’t fit well
Should one or both depart, Cancelo might have another opportunity to play the inverted role in the future. Furthermore, if Cancelo left City because he wasn’t getting enough playing time there. His return in the summer best served by a switch to a more conventional “false full-back” system.
Despite making four consecutive starts and providing back-to-back assists in his debut, the grass currently isn’t all that greener over in Germany. Although he lauded Cancelo’s offensive abilities. Julian Nagelsmann dropped him when switching to a back three.
Cancelo reportedly withdrew from training after sitting on the bench for the entirety of Bayern’s victory at Stuttgart this weekend, and German media are now speculating that he won’t start Bayern’s match against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last-16 this week. In response to his departure from the team, he posted another mysterious statement on Instagram.
Cancelo may have been prudent to keep the door open for a return to City. He is already having trouble getting the regular games he desires. When he returns, the squad will be different. But it won’t take him long to reintegrate because there is now a system where he can flourish once more.
It seemed like a fallback when Cancelo and Guardiola proposed he stay at the Etihad for the upcoming season. The current situation involving Cancelo serves as another example of how quickly things can change in sports. City might have begun to consider what would happen without Cancelo. And the potential need for a replacement in the summer. Guardiola and Cancelo may have been better off not ruling anything out if Cancelo isn’t playing for Bayern Munich.
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