Should Cancelo Still Be In Your FPL Team?
When it comes to picking players for your Fantasy Premier League (FPL) team, the choices we have to make can often leave us racked with uncertainty and indecision. Players who were once stalwarts can have dips in form, and it can do more harm than good to keep them around for purely sentimental reasons.
Manchester City have become a footballing powerhouse over the past few years. Until recently, Portuguese full-back Joao Cancelo had been ever-present in the side, serving as both a defender and a driving force for the attack. However, Cancelo’s form has dipped, and, as a result, he appears to have fallen out of favour in Guardiola’s eyes. Should he still be in your FPL team? Let’s find out.
The Cancelo of Old
Cancelo joined then Premier League champions Manchester City in the summer of 2019, moving from Juventus on a six-year deal valued at around £60 million. Initially, Cancelo struggled for form, appearing to need time to properly settle and get to grips with Guardiola’s style of training and play. With Kyle Walker fighting for the same position, Cancelo struggled for game time during his first season at the club.
By his second year at the Etihad, Cancelo had found his form, establishing himself as a mainstay in the team and being praised for both his attacking prowess and his defensive instincts. He seemed to perfectly suit Guardiola’s inverted-fullback strategy, netting one goal and providing seven assists in 36 appearances. These are decent stats for a full-back, and they are the reason why Cancelo has been such a popular choice for FPL teams. He was integral to City’s title victory in the 2020/21 season and was one of the reasons why so many fans flocked to buy Man City tickets.
How is he Performing Now?
Unfortunately, the Portuguese player’s purple patch of form appears to have dried up. He was sent off against Fulham back in November 2022, which would have resulted in a three-point deduction for all FPL managers with him in their first XI. After an unimpressive performance at the FIFA World Cup, Cancelo has failed to hit the heights we saw in the 2020/21 season, struggling for game time and regularly dropped or substituted.
Should he be Dropped from your FPL Team?
For a player who has performed so well in the past, it would be incredibly difficult to cast Cancelo aside and condemn him to the scrap heap. While being an FPL manager requires you to be ruthless, you need to ensure you get the big decisions right.
However, up-and-coming youngster Rico Lewis has been tipped by experts to be all but set to oust Cancelo and claim a regular spot on the flank. He was brought on to replace Cancelo during City’s game against Arsenal, helping the time go on to claim an important victory.
As an FPL manager, you have to cope with making the big choices. While Cancelo’s form could well return, we could see Lewis take his place and become the top choice full-back option for Man City.
