‘Plays his own football’ – Barcelona defender slammed over performance vs Real Madrid

Barcelona defender Joao Cancelo had a tough evening during his team’s 2-3 loss to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Portuguese player struggled defensively when Lucas Vazquez made it 2-2 for Real Madrid in the 73rd minute, scoring from a cross by Vinicius Jr. on the right wing.

In their analysis for the Dutch channel Ziggo Sport (h/t Mundo Deportivo), former Netherlands internationals Marco van Basten and Ronald de Boer were openly critical of Cancelo’s performance. 

Van Basten, a three-time Ballon d’Or winner, did not hold back in his assessment of the Barcelona left-back, saying, “It’s crazy that Cancelo continues to repeat his mistakes at 29 years old.”

Meanwhile, de Boer, who played for Barcelona during the 1998-99 and 1999-00 seasons, criticized Cancelo for his lack of defensive teamwork. 

He also pointed out that Pep Guardiola let him go midseason last year, sending him on loan to Bayern Munich, and then transferred him to Barcelona this summer, which is fairly justified.

“Now I know why Pep doesn’t like Cancelo. This guy plays his own football and thinks it is only about what you do with the ball,” he said.

Joao Cancelo has had a week to forget. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)

A week to forget for Cancelo

On Tuesday, during the match against PSG, Cancelo conceded a penalty and struggled to keep up with Ousmane Dembele’s play throughout the game. Then, on Sunday, Cancelo’s two significant errors contributed to two of Real Madrid’s goals.

In the first half, his lack of attention allowed Vazquez to enter the penalty area too easily. This exposed central defender Pau Cubarsi, who ended up committing a foul that led to Vinicius scoring the penalty.

Later in the match, Cancelo’s lack of focus became more apparent. He neglected his defensive responsibilities and stopped tracking back, leaving Vazquez unmarked to finish a cross at the back post, which resulted in Madrid’s second equalizer of the night.

All this is enough to believe why Barcelona are not happy with Cancelo anymore, leading to the suggestion that he could be sent back to Man City in the summer.