Does he even fit in with FC Bayern Munich?

According to media reports, João Cancelo is about to move from Manchester City to Bayern Munich. But does the Portuguese full-back suit the German record champions at all? What are his strengths and weaknesses, especially compared to Benjamin Pavard and Noussair Mazraoui? We do the check together with the smart data specialists from Createfootball.

FC Bayern currently have three right-backs in their squad in Benjamin Pavard, Noussair Mazraoui and Josip Stanisic. Nevertheless, the Munich team is thinly occupied on the right in the back four due to a number of circumstances. Pavard is flirting with a farewell to Munich in the summer, and the Frenchman has been out of shape for weeks.

Mazraoui contracted a pericarditis during the World Cup in Qatar and will be out for weeks. Apparently those responsible do not trust Stanisic to master the important games in the Champions League. Cancelo would therefore be a very good alternative.

How does João Cancelo help FC Bayern?

With his playing strength, the Portuguese fits perfectly into the dominant Bayern game. Coach Pep Guardiola has already played in a similar way at Manchester City, so there is hardly any need for the Portuguese to adapt to the Bayern system. In addition, Cancelo is very variable in its positioning. He can play both the indenting full-back in the build-up game as well as the behind-running width provider.

At Manchester City, Cancelo has also been used almost exclusively as a left-back this season, often pulling into the middle and chipping the ball behind the chain with his powerful right foot. That would not be possible with Bayern, after all Davies is set on the left.

His chip balls would also be an important weapon against low-lying teams, which Bayern mostly have to play against in the Bundesliga. Joshua Kimmich is currently filling in the role of vertical playmaker at Bayern, so signing Cancelo could relieve Bayern’s midfield engine on the one hand and ensure that Kimmich can concentrate more on defensive tasks on the other.

But there are also some risks in signing the Portuguese. With Cancelo, Bayern would have another attacking full-back alongside Davies. Against teams that switch quickly, this could lead to an imbalance in the counter-attack protection and orphaned defensive wings.

The current form in which Cancelo is is also questionable. He did not play a single minute in Manchester City’s last three games, and he also lost his regular place with the Portuguese national team during the World Cup in Qatar. For the upcoming CL duels against Paris Saint-Germain, however, FC Bayern needs Cancelo to be in top form as soon as possible in order to pass the difficult task against the French.

João Cancelo: Drop in performance compared to the previous season

All data per 90 minutes in the 2022/23 season

*Adjusted for balanced ball possession for better comparability

FC Bayern: strengths and weaknesses of João Cancelo

With his outstanding technique, the 28-year-old often moves into the center and builds up attacks from there with his high-quality passing game as a deep playmaker. The Portuguese averages 20 vertical passes per game, with 74 percent of these balls arriving at the other player. In comparison: Alphonso Davies and Noussair Mazraoui only play 14 (73 percent accuracy) and 19 (79 percent accuracy) vertical passes per game.

Otherwise, Cancelo is a player who likes to move in the attacking third and creates scoring chances there with his broad set of creativity. With fast and tricky dribbles, he often passes the opponent and crosses precisely into the sixteen. With 3.8 crosses per encounter, he clearly outshines his Bayern competitors Davies (1.0), Mazraoui (1.6) and Benjamin Pavard (2.3). His versatility is also reflected in the fact that he looks for one-on-ones much more often than Pavard and Mazraoui.

Cancelo can also shine against deep opponents with tall central defenders. With his plug-in passes (1.7 per game) in the sixteen, he repeatedly serves deep attackers, also with well-timed chip balls behind a well-stacked defensive chain. He also has clear advantages over Davies (0.6), Pavard (0.6) and Mazraoui (0.7).

Defensively, Cancelo’s qualities are not quite as effective, but for an offensive full-back he still has strong values ​​in terms of duels (62 percent duels won). He conquers and intercepts a lot of balls with aggressive counter-pressing, and he is solid in aerial duels (66 percent duels won). At the same time, however, this makes him vulnerable to fast, counterattacking teams.

João Cancelo vs. Pavard, Mazraoui and Davies: The data comparison

All data per 90 minutes in the 2022/23 season