After a rough start to their title defense in 2023–24, Barcelona desperately looked for good players to add to their attack and defense.
In the last few days of the summer transfer window, Joan Laporta was lucky enough to get Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix on loan from Manchester City and Atletico Madrid, respectively.
Because their clubs didn’t trust or believe in the two talented players, they found comfort at the club of their dreams.
At first, Barcelona’s move seemed like a smart business move. That was the first time since Dani Alves that the team had a stable right back in Cancelo. Even though he wasn’t very good at defense, his wild charging style was fun to watch.
Felix is the same way. He was the best offensive option on the left side of Xavi’s four-man midfield. He could quickly switch from defense to attack and work devastatingly with Robert Lewandowski up front.
In the first game of their Champions League season, Barcelona played five stars against Royal Antwerp, showing how much of an effect they have.
To take advantage of their drive and strong desire to get their careers back on track, talks began with their parent clubs to keep the two Portuguese internationals longer than the season.
In the present day, however, the “Joaos” are not promised to stay at the club. Barcelona’s flaws were made clear by the long and hard season they had to go through. Some turned out to be very expensive as well.
You could say that Cancelo and Felix did their part because of the “low-cost, reasonable reward” nature of their move, but there are also reasons to think that the club would be better off without them.
Defensive Weakness
Nobody needs to be told that Cancelo and Felix are two of the best players at their spots. However, Barcelona learned this season that even though they were great at scoring, they made it hard for the team to defend in their own annoying ways.
Cancelo often forgets that he is also in the back line, even though he is known for having a lot of impact on the attack and being clever for the team, especially for a right back.
The versatile right back, who had also been used on the left side to cover for Alejandro Balde’s injury, was a huge threat going forward, but he showed he wasn’t paying attention to defense all season.
With Balde-Araujo-Christensen-Kounde, Xavi’s back line, Cancelo came into a defense that was probably the best in Europe in 2022–23. Instead of building on that base, he did a lot to make it fall apart.
In one-on-one fights, he is a better bet, but most of the time, his passive defense falls short. Cancelo was found wanting more than once because he couldn’t handle easy crosses into the box or keep up with his opponent’s runs.
Also, don’t forget that his runs into the final third make up for his bad defense, but his lack of focus has cost the team a lot in the most important games of the season, like against Real Madrid in La Liga and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League Quarterfinals.
Felix is also guilty of being too comfortable when he doesn’t have anything. You could make a case for Cancelo’s hard work despite his problems. Felix, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to fully support the idea of the team pressing hard from the front.
Not only that, but he also doesn’t track back to help his fullback, who was mostly Cancelo. This leaves Barcelona’s left side open to being attacked, used, and stolen from.
Like his namesake, Felix is an unstoppable force that can make a change by himself when he’s in the mood. But because he didn’t try hard enough and wasn’t good enough to help the team defend, Xavi didn’t pay attention to him.
Frequently Not Consistent
Even though they are clearly good, it would be great for their club if the “Joaos” showed it more often and more consistently.
He has played for Inter Milan, Juventus, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich, which are some of the best teams in Europe. He was never a long-term choice for any of them, though, which says a lot.
It is well known that he has problems at the back, but his swiss-knife skills going forward, no matter how amazing and complete they are, have only rarely paid off.
It’s the same in Barcelona now. A lot of tricks and skills in Cancelo’s locker could make him the engine of his team’s attack, but he often fails to deliver the goods.
It’s clear that he’s not very good at defense, but the fact that he can’t make it count scoring, which is his strong suit, without a minimum of consistency makes it risky to keep him on for another season.
The story of Felix, another man from his country, can be seen in the same way as one of football’s great “What If” mysteries.
Felix is an extremely good player who can be entertaining when he has the ball in his hands. With silky, deft touches and quick passing, he plays in a way that reminds me of street football. His amazing skills could light up the field.
It’s annoying that he’s not even close to reaching his full ability. It’s impossible for all three teams to be wrong: Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, and now Barcelona.
The idea that he could tip the scales in his favor all by himself in an instant is very appealing, but he can’t seem to do it consistently. So much so that the Portuguese has to play with a panic that makes him even less useful on the field.
It’s true that Felix plays unbelievably well when he has something to prove and a chip on his shoulder. His great games against Atletico Madrid (twice) and Porto are proof of this.
Given their current financial situation, Barcelona wouldn’t be smart to go out of their way to sign Felix and hope he is in the mood to play.
Felix and Cancelo have been more of a problem than a help for Barcelona. It wouldn’t be fair to say that they haven’t done their job with passion since they were brought in to fill important holes in the team.
From what they’ve done in the past, it won’t hurt Barcelona to look elsewhere for better and more responsible players. That is because they have more important things to do before the summer trade window opens.
After a tough season without a trophy, Barcelona needs to bring in smart, high-quality players to strengthen the team in key spots.
To begin, the team needs a solid defensive midfielder very badly because they didn’t have one all season last year. They can’t pay for another temporary worker to put triangles in place of square pegs.
To hire a top pivot, money will be needed. Joshua Kimmich, Amadou Onana, and Mikel Merino are just a few of the players on the roster.
There is no way that the funds can be used to repay a dear dealer. In place of the “Joaos,” Barcelona can also spend money on exciting market chances and more reliable players.
Barcelona would have to pay more than €50 million just to get Joao Felix. That money could be used to get a left-winger like Nico Williams, who is very powerful. Not only that, but the second option would work much better with Flick’s method as well.
Since Jules Kounde is showing that he is a good right back and Julian Araujo is back from a great loan at Las Palmas, Joao Cancelo might not be in the running because he is often a problem at the back.
It looks like the team has enough full-backs, even with Alejandro Balde coming back from surgery and Alex Valle, a loan player who deserves a chance.
People like Felix and Cancelo may have given up their big salaries and worked hard to play for their dream club, but Barcelona can’t waste their money on fixes that won’t work.
For whatever reason, the club has other, more important things to do than the “Joaos,” no matter how unpleasant it may be.
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