Will Joao Cancelo Solve Barcelona's Problems at Right-Back?
Barcelona's previous two games have only stood to reinforce the belief at the club and among supporters that the one position they need to sign a player in is right-back.
Sergi Roberto—whom, it must be noted, has largely been good when playing there—made two big errors. One was against Manchester City, and the other was against Sevilla—both resulted in goals conceded.
On the first occasion it upset Barcelona’s rhythm and saw them fall to a 3-1 defeat when they had been 1-0 up at the time, while at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan it sent them 1-0 down, but they turned it around thanks to Lionel Messi’s sensational display.
The midfielder for a time seemed like an ideal replacement for Dani Alves, but it is becoming evident that in the games where he has to be a defender first and an attacking wide player second, he can be caught out.
For 75 per cent of Barcelona’s games, he might be a perfectly good right-back, but in the final 25 per cent, they may pay a high price for not having a specialist in the position. And that 25 per cent will be the games that matter.
With time, Sergi Roberto may be able to adapt further still, but time is something that elite clubs rarely have to spare.
Luis Enrique has cover for almost every position in the team apart from this spot. Well, he has Aleix Vidal, but the player has fallen out of the coach's good books to such an extent that it is nearly impossible to imagine him forcing his way into the side again.
Curiously, Sport’s Jordi Gil observed him in a training game on Wednesday and noted that the defender was in far higher spirits than he has been since making a mistake against Alaves on September 10, and subsequently being dropped:
"Despite not being in Luis Enrique's plans the defender surprised onlookers with his good attitude shown in a training game between Barcelona B and Juvenil A players.
Aleix has returned to training this week after two weeks out because of muscle problems. The player has recovered and seemed very active and motivated in the game. The young players enjoyed playing with him and the two other first teamers who have not been called up to international duty, Paco Alcacer and Jordi Masip.
Aleix played in his natural position at right-back and, as you would expect, stood out among the players from lower categories.
"
However, it is surely too little, too late for Vidal, barring a huge change in fortune. It may take an injury or suspension to Sergi Roberto to force Luis Enrique to play him, although Javier Mascherano has been used at right-back ahead of the former Sevilla man.
So instead it is more likely that Barcelona will turn to the market in January.
The first option was Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin, but the former Barcelona man is at home in London and feels a debt of gratitude to manager Arsene Wenger, so will sign a contract extension with the Gunners, as reported by the Guardian.
That leaves Barcelona looking at Joao Cancelo, who has become the next in line to Alves’ throne.
When Gary Neville was manager of Valencia, he compared the Portuguese defender to Barcelona’s legendary Brazilian, acknowledging that he was one of the best players in Los Che’s squad.
In October Sport's Francesc de Haro linked Cancelo with the Catalans, even mentioning Vidal as part of a potential swap deal:
"Valencia paid 15 million euros for Cancelo when he was virtually unknown, it was an important economic effort. Therefore, they won't let him leave for cheap. Vidal could help reduce the cost, though. Talks between the two clubs are fluid given the friendship between Robert Fernandez and Suso Garcia Pitarch, the two sporting directors. Cancelo's name has always been present in talks between the two men.
"
The figure being discussed in Spanish dailies Sport and Mundo Deportivo oscillates, but what it is estimated Barcelona would pay is usually a little over €20 million from recent reports.
Barcelona have also been linked with Serge Aurier at PSG and Southampton's Cedric Soares, per Sport, but Cancelo seems the strongest link and has the greatest potential of the three.
Cancelo clearly has a lot of attacking quality, and that is reflected in Valencia sometimes using him as a right-winger instead of a right-back.
That's the type of defender Barcelona want in their wide positions, and Cancelo has a good cross, plenty of speed and is decent at dribbling, too.
His record for Portugal is impressive, with three goals in his first three games.
Portuguese football expert Tom Kundert, of PortuGOAL.net, spoke to Bleacher Report about Cancelo's form for his country, for whom he made his debut in August.
"He has made a sensational start to his Portugal career so naturally the reaction has been very positive," he said.
"The goalscoring has been especially impressive given that he has played every match at right-back. On the other hand, the three opponents have been Gibraltar, Andorra and the Faroe Islands, so it was to be expected that he would spend most of the games supporting the attack rather than defending.
"Nevertheless, his dribbling and the way he has linked up with the midfielders and forwards, not to mention his finishing, have been very impressive.
"Yes, you can say that [the fans have been impressed]. Soares made the right-back spot his own at the Euros and was excellent in the crunch games, so he will not be easy to dislodge, but he's had some injury problems this season and Cancelo has taken full advantage of his chance."
So it may be that Cancelo is battling with Soares not only for a place in the Portugal team but also to be the man Barcelona sign as a right-back.
However, the 22-year-old has already proved himself in La Liga and is a known quantity to the Catalan side, whereas it is always more risky to bring in a player from abroad.
"I think Cancelo is a bigger attacking threat than Cedric, but Cedric is the better defender, at least at this point in time," explained Kundert.
"They are both viable options though, and given Cancelo's young age he has time on his side to improve his defending.
"For now, I expect Portugal coach Fernando Santos to pick one or the other depending on each opponent and whether he wants to take a more offensive or cautious approach."
While Barcelona would like to snap up the defender, there is another question that needs to be answered. Is it the right move for him?
Sergi Roberto has fast become one of Luis Enrique’s favourite men, and a total freeze-out to accommodate a new signing would both send the wrong message and be an unfair reflection on his performances.
There is the risk that Cancelo may end up failing to adapt to Barcelona’s demands, even though his profile seems correct—though so did Vidal’s—and his career may come to a standstill.
"Portugal left-back Raphael Guerreiro reportedly turned down both PSG and Barcelona in the past to make sure he continued to play every week, and the intelligence of that decision has been borne out," Kundert added.
"Guerreiro has simply got better and better and can arguably be considered a world-class player now. Andre Gomes, for example, is struggling for playing time at Barca, and he looked out of form in Portugal's recent games. And I hope I'm wrong, but I fear he may stagnate or even go backwards at Barca.
"I believe Cancelo should stay put for now as it is vital he plays every week to improve and fully realise his potential. I'm not sure that would happen if he became a Barcelona player."
Guerreiro recently told Canal Plus France about his decision to snub the Catalans in the summer (h/t Sport).
He siad: "It was a difficult decision to say no to Barcelona, but a moment arrived in which I had to decide and I went [from Lorient to Borussia] Dortmund. I need to have continuity [in the team] and minutes to grow."
Should Cancelo speak with his compatriot if a Barcelona offer arrives, he may decide it may not make sense to take it.
Asked about a potential move away he said, per the club’s radio station: "I feel good. I don’t know about the future, but I feel comfortable at Valencia."
Of course, when an approach from Barcelona arrives, it is hard to turn down. If Cancelo goes, he will reunite with two team-mates from last season in Gomes and Paco Alcacer.
From Barcelona’s perspective, he is the best option they have in that position, and they will hope his former Valencia pals can help convince him make the jump to Camp Nou—although neither of them have earned their own places in the team yet.
Rik Sharma is Bleacher Report's lead Barcelona correspondent. All information and quotes obtained firsthand unless specified. Follow him on Twitter here: @riksharma_.
.jpg?w=600 "Shedeur not currently in line for Browns QB1")
.jpg?w=600 "Ranking Every NFL Defense After 2026 Draft 📊")
