The Importance of Alphonso Davies

[Obinna]

13 minutes ago, archer21 said:

I’m not sure why everyone thinks this. I think he has been very effective for us as a forward in the few instances he’s been given the opportunity. Having him chasing down long balls in behind slower defenders is a massive threat for the opponent. A lot of the reason we beat USA in Toronto in my opinion is that they didn’t know how to handle the speed/counter attack that we had up front.

The counter attack gave him the room to build up speed?

[archer21]

1 hour ago, Obinna said:

The counter attack gave him the room to build up speed?

So then under what circumstances would he not be able to build up speed? I wasn’t meaning to pick on you, but I’ve seen many times people say that they like him at LB because he has room to build up speed. Which I assumed they meant because he’s playing from deeper, he has more field in front of him. If that’s not what was meant then I don’t get it. Wingers have plenty of space to run at defenders. If he has room to run as a striker then what are we even talking about? If the argument is that he shouldn’t be playing striker against a bunkering team, I’ve never seen someone suggest that he plays in that role to begin with.

Edited April 22, 2021 by archer21

[PopePouri]

15 minutes ago, archer21 said:

So then under what circumstances would he not be able to build up speed? I wasn’t meaning to pick on you, but I’ve seen many times people say that they like him at LB because he has room to build up speed. Which I assumed they meant because he’s playing from deeper, he has more field in front of him. If that’s not what was meant then I don’t get it.

I think that's pretty much it.

Quote

Wingers have plenty of space to run at defenders.

Not always. Modern wingers need to work in the half-spaces. That's not to say Phonzy can't do that, but I don't think he's as effective. He's just not a Mane/Sancho/Salah/Sterling type player.

Quote

If he has room to run as a striker then what are we even talking about? If the argument is that he shouldn’t be playing striker against a bunkering team, I’ve never seen someone suggest that he plays in that role to begin with.

The US game is a use case for him playing up front if we're playing against a dogmatic coach, have more bodies in midfield and we're playing mostly in transition. I don't think that's possible in all cases and all opponents, and if that's the case, we lose a bunch of effectiveness with his back to goal.

[archer21]

20 minutes ago, PopePouri said:

I think that's pretty much it.

Not always. Modern wingers need to work in the half-spaces. That's not to say Phonzy can't do that, but I don't think he's as effective. He's just not a Mane/Sancho/Salah/Sterling type player.

The US game is a use case for him playing up front if we're playing against a dogmatic coach, have more bodies in midfield and we're playing mostly in transition. I don't think that's possible in all cases and all opponents, and if that's the case, we lose a bunch of effectiveness with his back to goal.

Fair enough I guess. I kind of disagree that wingers don’t have space to attack. I guess it all depends on tactics and who you’re playing against, but they find themselves 1v1 against a fullback a lot of the time still.

I do agree that there are only rare cases that we should use him at striker, when we are sitting back and trying to counter attack. I’ve said many times is prior threads that I like him as a LB against weak teams where we are always attacking, and in a more advanced position if we are sitting back and countering.

My original reply to @Obinna was just looking for clarification on why people say they want him at LB to have room to build up speed (he didn’t say this but I believe the comment he was originally replying to said that). 

[Obinna]

 

2 hours ago, archer21 said:

So then under what circumstances would he not be able to build up speed? I wasn’t meaning to pick on you, but I’ve seen many times people say that they like him at LB because he has room to build up speed. Which I assumed they meant because he’s playing from deeper, he has more field in front of him. If that’s not what was meant then I don’t get it. Wingers have plenty of space to run at defenders. If he has room to run as a striker then what are we even talking about? If the argument is that he shouldn’t be playing striker against a bunkering team, I’ve never seen someone suggest that he plays in that role to begin with.

Basically what @PopePouri said. 

By the way, I am in the Davies playing further forward camp, at least for us.

For Bayern Munich less so, because he hasn't looked great at winger. I think that's just due to the unfamiliarity of it within that team. I bet if he played further forward for Bayern on a regular basis he would adjust in due time and become very dangerous. Right now though he looks defensive and unsure in a wing role for Bayern, which was precisely my fear when Bayern started converting him to a left back. On the flipside though, he proved to be a world class left back last season, with this season being more challenging but with him still showing he's a top left back (if not world class), because you don't play this many games for Bayern if you're not top class, let's face it.

[Kadenge]

It will be interesting to see what role Davies will have under Bayern's new manager.  Davies is best when he has the freedom to romp forward as he did last season when Bayern basically played with a back 3 and Davies attacking the left flank with one of Kimmich or Alcantara dropping back for cover. Bayern have been weak defensively this season and perhaps that is why Davies has been held back. There are going to be personnel changes including both CBs next season. They got caught a lot playing a high line this year, partly due to not aggresively executing the high press like they did last year.

[Aird25]

Any chance they trade him? They’d make a ton of money and they have other options

[Kent]

Personally I don't think he needs very much room to get up to speed. He did alright from 10 seconds into this video despite being at a dead stop about 5 yards from the offensive goal line.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-nOOk-bacs

Maybe people aren't familiar with this particular play, it's kind of obscure from his younger days.

[Kent]

2 minutes ago, Aird25 said:

Any chance they trade him? They’d make a ton of money and they have other options

Haven't you heard? Florentino Perez says there is no money for transfers anymore in global football. The entire football world is about to collapse if Real Madrid can't buy Mbappe and Haaland. So I don't think Davies can be sold.

[PopePouri]

18 hours ago, Obinna said:

 

Basically what @PopePouri said. 

By the way, I am in the Davies playing further forward camp, at least for us.

For Bayern Munich less so, because he hasn't looked great at winger. I think that's just due to the unfamiliarity of it within that team. I bet if he played further forward for Bayern on a regular basis he would adjust in due time and become very dangerous. Right now though he looks defensive and unsure in a wing role for Bayern, which was precisely my fear when Bayern started converting him to a left back. On the flipside though, he proved to be a world class left back last season, with this season being more challenging but with him still showing he's a top left back (if not world class), because you don't play this many games for Bayern if you're not top class, let's face it.

I was still pretty dogmatic about Davies playing LB. I think I'm slowly being converted to Davies playing more forward, but not too far forward. Not say, up top in a 4-3-3, but wide in 4-4-2 or wing-back in a 3-5-2. 

[Snowcrash]

I was just about to say that both Sane and Koman have been shockingly bad in the first half and lo and behold, they're subbed out for the start of the second half. 

[dyslexic nam]

How did Davies play?   Lots of subs but he went the distance so hopefully he played decent.  

As a sidebar, I am rooting for Lewandowski break the Bayern record so nice to see him grab a consolation goal in injury time.  

[Floortom]

I didn’t watch the match but Davies had by far the highest WhoScored rating on the team.

on Twitter there seems to be a lot of complaints about how average he has been this year though 

[MM3/MM2/MM]

8 minutes ago, Floortom said:

I didn’t watch the match but Davies had by far the highest WhoScored rating on the team.

on Twitter there seems to be a lot of complaints about how average he has been this year though 

Fotmob had him as MOTM.

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

On 4/22/2021 at 4:57 PM, Kadenge said:

It will be interesting to see what role Davies will have under Bayern's new manager. 

There are still 3 matches left to play in the season.

Bayern are by far ahead of everyone else when it comes to "Goals For". They have scored 86.

Bayern are currently in 5th place for goals "against" with 40, behind:

RB Leipzig 25
Wolfsburg 32
Leverkusen 35
Union Berlin 38

If I'm Nagelsmann, that's the first thing I look at when I take over, especially coming from Leipzig, who are currently the team that have conceded the fewest goals.

So where does Alphonso Davies fit into that? Does he stay at LB /LWB? Is he moved to a more offensive role? Or is he loaned out?

I can imagine a situation where Davies is loaned out so that Nagelsmann can get the € to bring in one of his current Leipzig LBs like Marcel Halstenberg or Angeliño ( or another defender like Willi Orbán).
Dayot Upamecano is already headed to Bayern Munich.

 

EDIT:

 

 

Edited April 28, 2021 by Olympique_de_Marseille

[SthMelbRed]

I don't think there's even the remotest chance of the Phonz being loaned out. If Nagelsmann comes in and doesn't fancy him at either LB or LW, he'll try to sell him. However, the manager at Bayern has far less power over player transfers than a manager in England might have. Therefore, I reckon that the Bayern hierarchy will simply tell their new manager to get fucked if he makes noise about moving on one of the club's prized assets.

[Obinna]

@Olympique_de_Marseille Davies isn't going anywhere on loan, unless it's to another mega club, comes with a hefty fee, and includes an obligation to buy for 10's of millions of Euros.

[frmr]

A player on the World's Best XI getting loaned out. Uhhhh, no.

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

Congrats to Alphonso Davies on winning another Championship!

 

Now, Bayern, please let Alphonso play in a more attacking role for these final 3 games. 😜

Edited May 8, 2021 by Olympique_de_Marseille

[TGAA_Star]

2 hours ago, Olympique_de_Marseille said:

Congrats to Alphonso Davies on winning another Championship!

 

Now, Bayern, please let Alphonso play in a more attacking role for these final 3 games. 😜

That is how many titles for him now? Probably our most decorated player within our national team well at the moment and he's still young with potential to get even better. I just love to see it.

Hell, at this point it wouldn't surprise me if Alphonso becomes captain of Canada and wears the armband sooner or later.

[ADP10]

Apparently he had an error in the last game according to whoscored. I’m curious what most Bayern fans would rate his overall season

[Tyson M]

1 minute ago, ADP10 said:

Apparently he had an error in the last game according to whoscored. I’m curious what most Bayern fans would rate his overall season

misplayed the ball while they were up a bunch of goals. Lack of concentration as it was an emotional finale for many big Bayern names. I'm not exactly a Bayern fan but I would look on those message boards for an honest(non-voyageur biased) opinion.

today's game he showed his speed a few times and I thought he looked very good other than the error. The commentators were impressed too.

[Obinna]

His rating in my goal app was 6.8. I never saw the match, but Hernandez was a 4.6 and Alaba was a 4.5, so it doesn't sound like he was too bad overall in comparison. Perhaps a mixed performance though.

For comparison, Pavard was the highest on the backline at 7.8, so needless to say nobody on the backline showered themselves with glory, which is to be expected when Bayern conceed twice.

[Gian-Luca]

He was flawless other than the loss of possesion on the 2nd, largely inconsequential goal. He snuffed out a ton of attacks on the right side of the defence and launched several attacks, including several that should have resulted in Lewandowski breaking Muller's record but he kept missing on those before finally doing it in the 90th minute (in a game where no injury time as added).

[TOcanadafan]

Very excited to read that Davies projects as a wing-back under Nagelsmann and would feature more in the attack.
 

Why Julian Nagelsmann could unlock Alphonso Davies' potential at Bayern Munich @ https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/how-julian-nagelsmann-can-get-the-best-out-of-alphonso-davies-bayern-munich-15750?utm_source=link&utm_medium=referral&utm_term=english&utm_content=article