Pep Guardiola admits that he and Joao Cancelo did not see eye to eye when the player first arrived at Manchester City, mainly down to his own “mistakes”.
The Portugal international this week signed a deal aimed at keeping him at the club until 2027, a reflection of the importance he has assumed in Guardiola ’s table-topping team.
But when Cancelo arrived at City in 2019, he struggled for playing time and was unable to shift Kyle Walker from the right back spot while not looking entirely at ease as a makeshift left back.
That all changed last season, when Cancelo became integral to City’s Premier League title win and to reaching their first Champions League final — and is now a key man whether he plays left back, right back or midfield.
Guardiola confessed that he made errors with Cancelo in the early days of their relationship, when the player almost sought a transfer back to Italy or Spain.
The City boss said: “We struggled when he arrived, we did not agree on many things, partly because of my mistakes, but now I’m delighted he’s fully happy and can play here for the next seasons.
“He can play in many positions, can play every day, physicality, he’s so funny and loved in the locker room.”
Asked to expand on what the mistakes were, Guardiola replied: “Normally he’s playing every time now, that’s the main reason.”
And he went on to hint that he perhaps did not handle it well when omitting Cancelo in that first season.
“Players accept more than others playing minutes, he wanted to play every time and when he doesn’t he’s not happy,” added Guardiola. “Now he understands, we know each other better, every player has to be treated differently.
“He’s an incredible person with a big heart but he’s sensitive. I needed time to understand him, now I understand him more and he’s important for us.
“He struggled with how we played, what we wanted to do and that was the reason why but always a nice guy.
“Joao is fully happy right now, he wants to play every game and that’s all.
“Every player has a world and you have to understand it. Sometimes you need time to understand each other.
“He’s one of the few we have who would play morning, afternoon, night. He needed the adrenalin to play.
“He’s like (Phil) Foden, football is the most important thing in his life. We know each other, it’s important he’s playing as he behaves perfectly.”
Guardiola made the point that the decision to hand Cancelo a new five-year deal was made by the club.
“The players are more important than the manager, the club has to take decisions, we talk constantly but the club is not stupid and knows the players who have to continue,” he said.
“Apart from the manager, these players will be good for any manager. Joao is happy and that makes me happy, we’ve set up perfectly and we understand each other.”
