Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel urges on-loan Manchester City star Joao Cancelo 'to manage his emotions' ahead of UCL QF face-off

Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel has urged on-loan Manchester City star Joao Cancelo to keep his emotions in check against his parent club in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals.

The Bavarian giants travel to the Etihad on Tuesday (April 11) to play the first leg, with Cancelo expected to start on the right flank. He joined Bayern Munich on loan from City in January, and the move could be made permanent in the summer. The Portugal international, playing as a right wing-back at Bayern, has four assists and one goal in 12 games across competitions for them.

Often, a player can complicate things by trying too hard to make a point against his parent or former club. Tuchel hopes that's not the case with Cancelo, who spent three and a half years under Pep Guardiola at the Etihad. At his pre-match press conference, Tuchel said (h/t FanNation Futbol):

"I hope he can manage his emotions, and he's not over motivated or over excited, but on the other hand not too friendly or too shy. I know he's looking forward to it; he knows the system very well, but I would say that I also know the system very well."

He added:

"But it's not enough to know it. A lot of people know that smoking is not healthy, and still they smoke, so it's about what we do, it's not about what we know."

Despite being on loan from the Cityzens, Cancelo is free to play against his parent club in Europe.

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Why did Joao Cancelo leave Manchester City for Bayern Munich?

Joao Cancelo was a key player for Pep Guardiola for many seasons. He's highly versatile and can play down both flanks in attacking and defensive roles and even in central midfield.

The former Juventus player left Manchester City temporarily in January after making 154 appearances across competitions since joining them in August 2019 from SL Benfica.

Hence, it was a surprise for many when the 28-year-old was allowed to join Bayern Munich in the winter. Explaining why he left Manchester City, Cancelo told O Jogo (h/t Eurosport) in February:

"A competitive player, like me, who aspires to win titles, just wants to play. It's not a question of devaluing my teammates. But I thought I deserved to play, and he didn't."

The 42-cap Portugal international added:

"So we talked; it was a conversation, not a discussion, and we decided that the best thing would be for me to leave this market. An opportunity I couldn't refuse. It was by mutual agreement."

Cancelo started just three of Manchester City's first ten games after the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.