Thierry Henry (foto: //)
Joao Cancelo has been heavily criticized for committing what many deem an unnecessary foul against Ousmane Dembele in the penalty area during a crucial moment in the game.
Barcelona's defender Joao Cancelo fouled Ousmane Dembele on the edge of the penalty box, where Dembele was neither in a shooting position nor did he have much space to assist a teammate. The penalty awarded was justified and marked a turning point as PSG took the lead in the aggregate score.
Former top defender Rio Ferdinand was critical of the action.
"Foolish. Dembele was moving away from goal; there was no need to jump on him. It was just excessive eagerness, but I see it as naivety that you might expect from a young player caught in a panic. You always need to know where you are on the field," Ferdinand commented.
Legendary Thierry Henry believes Cancelo's reaction reflects the mental stability and composure of the player, which varies significantly among individuals.
"You can’t recreate the crowd at training. You can't simulate the pressure of playing with a man down. You can’t create the fear of not being able to come back into the game. How do you create such circumstances? Some stay calm, others don’t. Virgil van Dijk, for example, wouldn’t commit a foul because he remains calm from the start of the game. But not everyone is the same."
"As a coach, you tell a player before the game: 'Stay calm, keep your feet on the ground. Make sure nobody gets sent off.' All coaches say the same before games—be careful not to get sent off. However, players react and get dismissed. It has a huge impact on the game. But again – how do you teach a player to react in such situations? Only when a difficult situation arises will you know whether you can stay calm or not."