Manchester City may have demolished Sporting in the Champions League, but Pep Guardiola still wants more from Joao Cancelo.
City headed to Lisbon seeking a big first leg lead in their last 16 clash, and that’s exactly what they got.
Guardiola’s men were absolutely sensational, racing into a 4-0 first-half lead against a shellshocked Sporting side.
Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden gave City a 3-0 lead inside 35 minutes before Silva added his second.
A beautiful long-range Raheem Sterling strike sealed the 5-0 win, and City are pretty much through already after that first leg demolition.
This performance and result just adds to the belief that this could finally be City’s year in the Champions League.
With the Premier League already looking like its heading to the Etihad Stadium, this could be a very special season for City.
Yet as is often the case with Guardiola, he wants more from his players, constantly striving for perfection.
Despite a 5-0 win on Tuesday night, Guardiola still found one player to criticise with right back Cancelo under the microscope.
Speaking to The Times, Guardiola was critical of Cancelo’s passing as he noted that the Portuguese star ‘missed a lot of balls’.
Cancelo was guilty of giving the ball away a few times in the first half, and his decision making just seemed to be off.
We all know how good Cancelo is, and he has been one of City’s top performers this season, showing why he cost £60million.
The 27-year-old just had an off night and will no doubt be back to shining once again very soon.
This just typifies Guardiola. Even in a thumping win, he’s seeking more – and that mentality could just bring City the Champions League trophy this season.
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