This could be the most failed season for Man City and coach Pep Guardiola, if the internal Premier League champion does not improve.
What do you see from Cancelo leaving?
“I haven’t had too much game time in the last few weeks. This has influenced my decision. And my move to Bayern Munich has nothing to do with my relationship with coach Pep Guardiola.” , defender Joao Cancelo explained about the shocking transfer to Bayern Munich.
However, no matter what language the Portuguese defender covers, there is a fact that Man City ‘s internals are extremely unstable. After the 2022 World Cup final, Joao Cancelo had only 2 starts in a total of 9 matches of Man City in all competitions.
This is unusual because before that, Cancelo was always prioritized by coach Guardiola to rank the main stone. Before Cancelo officially signed a loan contract with a buyout clause worth 70 million euros with Bayern, British newspapers simultaneously published a scandal at Etihad.
Accordingly, Cancelo publicly criticized coach Pep Guardiola , for throwing him on the bench. Moreover, the Portuguese player was still in conflict, leading to a fight with Phil Foden. The serious problem is that this is not spontaneous rebellion of an individual nature, but organized behavior.
Crisis at Etihad
Sources of the Daily Express said, after Cancelo left, other Portuguese players of Man City also expressed discontent with coach Pep Guardiola. Those who stayed, from Ruben Dias to Bernardo Silva, were not satisfied with the way the Spanish leader treated his teammate.
More dangerous, Dias and Bernardo Silva are also in the same situation as Cancelo when they are not given many playing opportunities. After the 2022 World Cup, Dias only had one appearance in the minute… 90+1 for Man City. Meanwhile with Bernardo Silva, the midfielder’s last 3 matches had 9 minutes, 13 and 15 minutes, respectively, against Tottenham, Wolverhampton and Arsenal.
The situation was so tense that coach Pep Guardiola planned to let Phil Foden play at left-back instead of Joao Cancelo. The former Barca captain said of the idea: “He (Phil Foden) is an outstanding player and a lot more mature. Foden is in good shape, strong and smart in the way he handles the situation.”
Pep added: “Foden can play 3 days a game and play 5 different positions. He has unbelievable instincts, he can even play at left-back. But Foden also needs to improve his movement without the ball. It’s normal because he’s young.”
It is clear that there is an internal crisis at Man City. This is a situation Pep has never met since leading the Etihad Stadium team from 2016. Currently, Man City is 5 points behind the Premier League leaders Arsenal and has played more than 1 match. In the Champions League, RB Leipzig is waiting for them.
