Manchester City cruised past Oxford United to reach the semi-final of the Carabao Cup in their bid to retain the trophy they won last season. Pep Guardiola made some changes for the clash with the League One side and one player, in particular, shone in his quest to get more first-team opportunities. That man was Joao Cancelo, the summer arrival from Juventus.
Despite having a back four he had never previously lined up alongside, the right-back was outstanding in defensive situations and had an assured air about him as the most experienced defender in the quartet. The Portuguese international made a single tackle, but a further two interceptions and clearances to make sure that City were not embarrassed by their lower-ranking opposition. To ensure that the makeshift backline conceded only one goal, Cancelo also put his body on the line to block an Oxford shot.
With the ball at his feet, Cancelo was as assured as ever, 88 per cent of his 50 passes were successful, as the visitors dominated 66 per cent of possession. His long passes were particularly impressive considering Manchester City’s lack of aerial threat, five of the seven he attempted reached their intended target. Though he did fail to deliver any crosses during the match when he did reach advanced areas, the wing-back made created two chances for teammates, but neither led to a goal.
Where Cancelo flourishes is further up the pitch, and that is precisely where he threatened Oxford United the most. He opened the scoring with a somewhat fortunate deflected shot which looped out of the goalkeepers reach, then, later on, he could have doubled up but slammed the ball against the post from a tight angle. Despite some luck, he would have been particularly pleased to get off the mark with his first Manchester City goal.
Even though he couldn’t add to his solo effort, Cancelo consistently troubled the opposition defence, having to be brought down on three occasions, while also completing two successful dribbles around Oxford players. Guardiola would have been thrilled with the defender’s display, and he has taken a step towards displacing Kyle Walker from the regular Premier League starting eleven.
