I agree he had a very good game yesterday, no doubt on that. But our fanbase is so corny, we start glazing a player for one good game.
Cancelo is the most unreliable player i have ever seen defensively. He defensively is what Pique said Arbeloa is. He gets caught out of position because of his attacking tendencies almost every time. His defensive awareness is lesser than Gerard literally Gerard martin. We lost to psg due to his worst of the performances in 23/24 season, he ruined our entire games in classicos as well.
Imagine how bad of a player one can be that diogo dalot starts over him in Portugal?
And i also agree that balde is out of his peak form. Last season he literally was probably part of top 5 lbs in Europe. Even when balde isn’t in peak form, his profile still edges cancelo. Cancelo is primarily an inverted or attacking wing back whose strengths are in ball progression and chance creation and he cant do that partially, but his less disciplined defensive nature means he’s better suited as a tactical option rather than a consistent starting lb in Barca’s structure. Balde is more reliable long term choice in Barca’s tactical setup because he balances attacking support with defensive responsibility, and fits the typical lb role that barca builds from.
by Interesting-Angle43
31 Comments
incredible player, excellent goals.
May be this should be flicks decision in the end how players perform well in training’s and shows personality off the pitch that’s how you get into the team and tbh I have no issue coz either of them provides different dynamics to us
Balde has been underperforming as well , I’m sorry but I don’t see your point . We shouldn’t have an ‘undisputed starter’ . Let them compete and whoever performs should get it
No I disagree let’s look at baldes stats since the season started yes he is good but honestly he doesnt have that fighting spirit in him you saw how cancelo played yesterday reminded me of his performance in the xavi era yes he lacks in defense but he is an attacking threat BALDE HAS NOT IMPROVED FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS HE’S BEEN WITH THE FIRST TEAM its always the same thing no skill only speed no crosses and need I remind you all the goals Atletico scored came from his side??? Im sorry he needs to stay on the bench maybe he will learn something id prefer Gerald maldini over him
Didn’t watch the game yesterday, did Cancelo play on the left or right?
It’s always good to have different alternatives and competition, a place in the starting XI is EARNED.
You also forget that cancelo is not in his prime anymore I also agree that he is an unreliable player he was terrible when it came to defense in 2023/24 season especially that psg game but balde needs to pull his socks up what link up does balde have with raphinha you saw what cancelo and raphinha were doing yesterday let’s not defend the obvious just because he played for la masia not every la masia olayer needs to stay at barca and be successful
Undisputed? That’s a big word 🤣
I would only say so about Nuno Mendes if we had him or Gvardiol
This is wrong, Balde is not in any “undisputed” starter form, his defense is quite mid at the moment and he is lacking/inconsistent when going foward. Cancelo today alone showed how much better he is going foward than Balde ever has been respectfully.
Balde is still a top player with immense quality but he needs to show it again, he has been quiet and if anything dropped his level since last szn. Hansi himself today said “Lets see if Cancelo can be a starter” after his MVP game. Remember he still is not even at his physical best yet Cancelo and yet he is still showing his quality. Either Balde earns his spot back or Cancelo will fight to get his.
https://preview.redd.it/6wq5rilqj6lg1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9f41e39a2dfac597c4deb3bcc172394507ca5242
Healthy competition needed in all positions. The better player should start the important matches, as simple as that
Healthy competition also pushes players to perform better
Balde has been on a downward trajectory. Really badly. Cancelo also is inconsistent and sometimes shirks his defensive duties. But I believe there should be some serious competition for our defensive line.
No player in our squad should be an undisputed starter. Balde has been poor this year. I believe he’ll get back to his best, but right now his position is up for grabs if Cancelo or Gerard Martin are in good form.
He should absolutely be starting for all big games. But for games like yesterday, cancelo can be of lot help. Especially since yamal gets markedwith 3 players, it’s very helpful to have a good dribbler/passer profile in the left wing which raphina is not(runner/ scorer).
fyi diago dalot aint starting over him cuz cancelo is bad mate its roberto Martinez what do u expect, talk to some portugal supporters they would rather have him than diego dalot or ruben neves there cuz he is one of their most influential player on the pitch
Cancelo should start over either Balde or Kounde lol if anything move Kohnde back to CB
I don’t agree with your point. Only players who perform better deserve to start. No one has a guaranteed starting position. Cancelo’s crosses are truly exceptional—Balde could learn from them for a long time.
its not balde should start or cancelo, its should be who performs well, train well and impresses the coach more.
At what position will you start him , since last years real madrid game I haven’t really seen him defend good. He is not performing up to the hype we created for him
only problem with balde is , he has not learned to cross or shoot in last 2 years
tbh he is good in defense and dribbling with high pace and in space
but my problem is when balde after creating a threat in one vs one , there is no end product , he hit a poor shot to keeper or bad cross which is intercepted
he has a high ceiling and but he is not reaching the ceiling, we always see a potential in him, he has to reach there is what I expect from him , I agree that he needs rest to recover and fatigue might also be reason for not reaching the potential. but with all this cancelo is best option, since he can play in both wings for blade and kounde and 30% games in low block and he could be key
BUY A NEW LB.
I could imagine games with both and some with none. They have very different profiles.
Oh cmon, are you not tired of balde making sprints and back passes? Crosses and no one scores? Making mistakes in the def? Thanks, I am tired of this average player.
Balde has a lot to improve upon especially crossing or playing a good final pass. He is the future but I feel like he’s just playing his game and not trying to get better
I mean Balde wasn’t playing well recently, I think if Cancelo starts the next game and performs just as well, you’d be a fool not to start him.
I believe that’s how for example Frenkie or Szczęsny got into starting XI, Flick seems to like to reward players who capitalize on their chances provided by him.
Balde should be starter based on what? He is doing nothing this season both in offense and defense. He needs competitions as he regressed from last season dramatically!!!
Still waiting for balde’s good game this season.
cancelo should start next 3 matches at lb.. then decide whos better. even if balde is slightly better i think cancelo should be playing as much as possible while hes here. use him to give kounde and balde a break
People glaze Joao so much because they’ve starved for actual vision and quality from our left back position. Whenever Cancelo played this season he was good, dribbled well, passed well, and so far even defended mostly well. And this is probably not even his best form yet as he hadn’t played for a long time before coming back to Barca. I don’t think, as much as I adore Cancelo, that he should become an insta starter, but in no world should Balde, of all players, be an undisputed one. Let them compete and we’ll see who comes out on top. Right now, Cancelo offers the same level of defensive quality on top of elite offensive abilities Balde is miles away from.
Its not about him being bad, but about competition.
Balde needs to improve heavily and if he cant than someone else take your spot. Ce la vie.
Talking like Balde himself has been reliable, hasn’t been reliable since last year.
I love Balde but he has not been performing lately. Whoever is performing well consistently should be our starter. Period.