Jump to content

The Importance of Alphonso Davies


jpg75

Recommended Posts

It seems odd for Bayern to move a forward/mid to defence simply to give him more playing time. Davies is only 18. It's not like he has played and not performed well as a winger for them. Personally I would prefer if they loaned him out  rather than play him at left back. He wold still be playing behind Alaba so what gives? Just think he is too young for this change if true. Hope he is open to a loan move.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not a fan of Davies at LB. Among other reasons, it's because Davies has shown an ability to score goals. Remember he scored 8 league goals for Vancouver as a 17 year old! If he was still in Vancouver this season, at 10+ goal season would probably be a certainty.

He can also literally run past defenders, like we saw at the Gold Cup in 2017. Get this guy closer to the opposition net, not father away :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What happens to Lucas Hernandez? He is a hybrid LB/CB isn't he? Pavard is the equivalent of that on the right. Hummels is still at the club and Sule is not very old so he'll be around for a while. 

The way I see it, Boetang leaves, Hummels and Sule become the incumbents, with Pavard and Hernandez providing depth/competition for the right and left center back spots. At the same time, I expect them to provide depth/competition for Alaba and Kimmich at the full back spots.

As for Davies, yeah I won't just dismiss that article. I bet he does fill in the Alaba at times, but I think he finds minutes higher up the field too. I don't think it's as clear cut as saying Davies will become no. 2 at left back, but rather I expect him to see time there and become more well rounded and experienced footballer in the process. Where ever he develops best will become his long term position.

I just hope for Canada's sake he becomes an attacker at club level, eventually, but for now it's sorta whatever he needs to do see the field and gain experience. That's how I am reading this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Obinna said:

I just hope for Canada's sake he becomes an attacker at club level

Why do we need him to be an attacker? This generation is strong up front but we have no elite fullbacks. Davies could become one. 

Besides, Liverpool's success this year should show you the importance of the modern fullback. They're part of the attack. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Obinna said:

What happens to Lucas Hernandez? He is a hybrid LB/CB isn't he? Pavard is the equivalent of that on the right. Hummels is still at the club and Sule is not very old so he'll be around for a while. 

The way I see it, Boetang leaves, Hummels and Sule become the incumbents, with Pavard and Hernandez providing depth/competition for the right and left center back spots. At the same time, I expect them to provide depth/competition for Alaba and Kimmich at the full back spots.

As for Davies, yeah I won't just dismiss that article. I bet he does fill in the Alaba at times, but I think he finds minutes higher up the field too. I don't think it's as clear cut as saying Davies will become no. 2 at left back, but rather I expect him to see time there and become more well rounded and experienced footballer in the process. Where ever he develops best will become his long term position.

I just hope for Canada's sake he becomes an attacker at club level, eventually, but for now it's sorta whatever he needs to do see the field and gain experience. That's how I am reading this.

This is the argument that Carl Robinson used too... I don't buy it. 

If it's LB or bench, sure. Get him onto the field. But I'd rather him being honing is craft of being defenders as an attacking winger at this point.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

33 minutes ago, Aird25 said:

Why do we need him to be an attacker? This generation is strong up front but we have no elite fullbacks. Davies could become one. 

Besides, Liverpool's success this year should show you the importance of the modern fullback. They're part of the attack. 

What??  The best young attacking threat we have had since....since.....you name someone because i cant unless their name is SInclair.  We havnt been able to score...EVER!!  Whats the hardest thing to do...score.  You think we should take a guy that has god given tools and tons of talent to play an offensive game and we should put the brakes on. Tell him he needs to devote a large percentage of his time to learning defense.  Because we have all seen how well it works when we try and shoehorn AIrd or Petrasso into RB.  They play defense like a attacking winger.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Aird25 said:

 

Besides, Liverpool's success this year should show you the importance of the modern fullback. They're part of the attack. 

Don't forget almost every single French fullback. 

Still in awe over Pavard's stunner in France's comeback win over Argentina. 

I prefer Davies higher up the pitch, but 100% okay with him getting SOME mins at LB/LWB.

Long ways away but in 3-6 yrs from now, a 3-5-2 with Davies as the LW, uumm yes please.

Edited by apbsmith
Link to comment
Share on other sites

People talk about Davies ability to score goals but truthfully putting the ball in the net is probably his biggest weakness. Hoilett, David and Cavallini are far more clynical. As far as everything else, including dispossesing the ball from grown men like they're small children, Davies is out of this world

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, SpursFlu said:

People talk about Davies ability to score goals but truthfully putting the ball in the net is probably his biggest weakness. Hoilett, David and Cavallini are far more clynical. As far as everything else, including dispossesing the ball from grown men like they're small children, Davies is out of this world

This is kind of what I was thinking as well. His physical attributes really lean quite heavily toward being a great wing back. As a 16 and 17 year old he was making tight and difficult tackles calmly. Him being more versatile only helps his case to play more minutes with Bayern. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, SpursFlu said:

People talk about Davies ability to score goals but truthfully putting the ball in the net is probably his biggest weakness. Hoilett, David and Cavallini are far more clynical. As far as everything else, including dispossesing the ball from grown men like they're small children, Davies is out of this world

Yes but he's still a teenager, and has already shown an ability to score. Hoilett and Cavallini are much older. When's he's 25 Davies could be scoring 15+ goals a year as a winger/attacker.

David is clinical and his positioning is so smart. Although he's never been deployed as a LB/RB as far as I know.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, Bison44 said:

What??  The best young attacking threat we have had since....since.....you name someone because i cant unless their name is SInclair.  We havnt been able to score...EVER!!  Whats the hardest thing to do...score.  You think we should take a guy that has god given tools and tons of talent to play an offensive game and we should put the brakes on. Tell him he needs to devote a large percentage of his time to learning defense.  Because we have all seen how well it works when we try and shoehorn AIrd or Petrasso into RB.  They play defense like a attacking winger.  

I suspect we value the different phases of the game quite differently. That's quite an unbalanced view IMO

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, Aird25 said:

I suspect we value the different phases of the game quite differently. That's quite an unbalanced view IMO

You have a good point about the value of attacking from wing back positions. That doesn't make @Bison44's view unbalanced. He also has a good point and his point is that Davies has world class potential as an attacking winger too. There's merit to both sides of this debate. 

If Davies does develop into a wing back long term, it would be better for the team one could argue, but the same could be argued for the alternative.

My preference is for him to become an attacker, primarily because rightly or wrongly, attackers are sexier. Having a world class or at least high level attacker counts for more as far as image of Canadian soccer goes.

Either way we are fortunate to have Davies, wherever he plays

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Obinna said:

Was it the Aird / Petrasso comment?

No. The imbalance for me is in the overall value placed on the offensive side of the game over the defensive side, and the lack of appreciation for Davies defensive abilities, whose main contributions in a game usually involve winning one on one battles on both sides of the ball. I think that's where he's excelled most often, and on a team like Bayern, that ability is needed by Wingbacks.

Edited by Aird25
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If only Portugal knew that wing back was the most important position on the field, they could have put Ronaldo at wing back all those years ago and would probably be winning World Cups instead of just Euro Cups and Nations League.

Yes, I know the difference between a "modern wing back" and what I played like as a kid, but for all the talk of our terrible defence, here are some numbers.

Since the beginning of the 2017 Gold Cup, we have given up...
0 goals in 6 games (Honduras, Jamaica, New Zealand, US Virgin Islands, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis)
1 goal in 3 games (Costa Rica, El Salvador, French Guiana)
2 goals in 2 games (French Guiana, Jamaica)
3+ goals in 0 games

If you want to only include top 8ish CONCACAF countries, that is 2 shut outs, 2 one goal games, and one 2 goal game. That's not exactly shambolic.

We have what could be a generational player. I don't want to put a lid on him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Yoginess said:

Davies shared an image of his shin after the tackle on Saturday. He got raked pretty hard.

I didn't see the picture but I'm sure he'll be fine. If it's just a big bruise and surface scratches you don't even think about it during a game 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...