João Cancelo

Cancelo's Manchester City role showed that a creative full-back need not stay near the touchline. Moving into midfield gave City another player between opponents, while he could still deliver from wider positions, as for Erling Haaland against Dortmund in 2022. Opponents had to decide who followed him. The defensive calculation also changed: occupying the centre could help protect possession, but someone else had to account for the flank. His effectiveness came from the movement fitting Guardiola's team structure.