Jump to content

The Importance of Alphonso Davies


jpg75

Recommended Posts

That is just how they say it.  Davies and Davis are the same name and come from Welsh, we colonials just have dropped the "e" or started pronouncing it more recently - relatively speaking. 

I won't worry about it until I can get them to say "taco" properly.  It is said "tack-o"

(Not sure why that one bugs me so much)

Edit: Oh and I saw the game and mentioned my thoughts on the abroad thread.  Looked good generally had a real nice touch in between the 2nd and 3rd goals to help set up a chance that Lewandowski skyed. 

Edited by WestHamCanadianinOxford
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, WestHamCanadianinOxford said:

That is just how they say it.  Davies and Davis are the same name and come from Welsh, we colonials just have dropped the "e" or started pronouncing it more recently - relatively speaking. 

I won't worry about it until I can get them to say "taco" properly.  It is said "tack-o"

(Not sure why that one bugs me so much)

Edit: Oh and I saw the game and mentioned my thoughts on the abroad thread.  Looked good generally had a real nice touch in between the 2nd and 3rd goals to help set up a chance that Lewandowski skyed. 

Sounds like how we say it in Newfoundland ;)

Speaking of Davies though, his Bayern take on Milan tomorrow. Should be interesting to see how many minutes he gets, if any.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

He has looked very very sharp both going forward and defensively in the 1st half at LB. 

Let the Davies at LB debate continue haha! ....

Regardless at least we can count on him getting developed properly at LB with excellent training and coaching. I am in agreement which what was mentioned earlier in this thread...they will have him as a LB to start the year and move him higher up the pitch as the season continues. Will be hard for him to get minutes over Alaba & Lucas Hernandez(once back from injury) at LB.

Edited by apbsmith
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Really?  I'm not sure I would call it a good first half.   He had a few decent moments for sure, but he also looked a little unsure of his positioning as a LB, and quite often he wasn't on the same page as his teammates. 

Though it improved throughout the half, his link up play with Coman (LW) often times looked clumsy.  On multiple occasions both of them appeared in the same space.   A mix-up between him and Renato Sanches (where it seemed like Phonzie covered the wrong guy) nearly led to a good chance for Milan.

It's understandable that there's gonna be a learning curve for with him playing a new position.  You also wonder how well he is able to communicate with some of his teammates.

Edited by Acid-Tone
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Acid-Tone said:

Really?  I'm not sure I would call it a good first half.   He had a few decent moments for sure, but he also looked a little unsure of his positioning as a RB, and quite often he wasn't on the same page as his teammates. 

Though it improved throughout the half, his link up play with Coman (LW) often times looked clumsy.  On multiple occasions both of them appeared in the same space.   A mix-up between him and Renato Sanches (where it seemed like Phonzie covered the wrong guy) nearly led to a good chance for Milan.

It's understandable that there's gonna be a learning curve for with him playing a new position.  You also wonder how well he is able to communicate with some of his teammates.

Commentators just mentioned excellent link up play between Davies and Coman in the 1st half.  Davies just showed great maturity in shielding Coman from jumping the AC Milan player after a dirty foul.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agreed.  I'm not if it was a tactical decision made by the manager or not, but even though he moved to LW, he mostly stayed inside and rarely took up a position near the touchline.  It could be that he perhaps was just deferring too much to Alaba.   But in doing so he largely failed to utilize his "absurd" pace.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Overall Davies had a pretty good game. Some nice moments and other not-so-good moments that remind you he is still an 18 year old learning the LB role.

He's looking more and more comfortable keeping possession at this level. The next stage is for him to improve his decision making in the final two-thirds.

Before Bayern, Davies would dribble his way out of everything, but clearly they have beat that out of him. He is always looking to feet now, it has been drilled into him, but far too often he is looking for the pass instead of taking players on the dribble. It'll take a while for him to find the right balance. This is where the "hesitstion" stems from in my opinion.

We'll have to be patient with him. Once he strikes the balance of when to pass to feet and when to push the initiative and make use his individual skill and dribbling, he'll be a monster, whether from LB or LW.

There are few players in the world, even at this top level, that can cope with beast-mode Davies, but unlike in MLS, he can't risk giving away possession cheaply. But I am hopeful he'll strike that balance, as he matures as a player, learning when to pass and when to dribble.

Edited by Obinna
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Obinna said:

Before Bayern, Davies would dribble his way out of everything, but clearly they have beat that out of him.

I hope they haven't. His ability to change games by running at the other team makes him special.  We haven't seen as much of that since he joined Bayern. Maybe it's because he's competing at a higher level, but even with Canada he has seemed more cautious. Other aspects of his game have definitely improved, but I worry he'll lose the willingness to take the game into his own hands.

Edited by Aird25
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Aird25 said:

I hope they haven't. His ability to change games by running at the other team makes him special.  We haven't seen as much of that since he joined Bayern. Maybe it's because he's competing at a higher level, but even with Canada he has seemed more cautious. Other aspects of his game have definitely improved, but I worry he'll lose the willingness to take the game into his own hands.

I definitely share your concern. 

And yes, we saw this with Canada as well, didn't we? Since joining Bayern, Davies with Canada has become more polished in that he can pick out a pass with far greater consistency, but there has been a trade off. He now gets caught in two minds, opting to pass when his natural inclination is to dribble.

So far he has not lost his ability, and I hope he never does, but it happens all the time to players. Look at Russell Teibert.

John Obi Mikkel is another example, at Lyn he was a world class prospect at attacking midfielder and was destined for a Man United move, but Chelsea came and brought him in from Norway and developed him as a defensive midfielder. He became a very high level player in that position, very effective for years, but he lost those attacking instincts with time. And in the past with the senior Nigerian national team, he tried to play as a no. 10, just like he did when he was a star at the U20 world cup, but he just looked like a defensive midfielder trying to play as an attacker. It was sad to watch, quite frankly.

I really have more hope for Davies though, because playing at left back gives him the chance to take players on. He'll still get plenty of reps doing that and, of course, he'll get chances at winger as well.

For me it is a concern, but I do think he'll figure it out. I am not hitting the alarm bell just yet, but I do look at his development with cautious optimism.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Obinna said:

I definitely share your concern. 

And yes, we saw this with Canada as well, didn't we? Since joining Bayern, Davies with Canada has become more polished in that he can pick out a pass with far greater consistency, but there has been a trade off. He now gets caught in two minds, opting to pass when his natural inclination is to dribble.

 So far he has not lost his ability, and I hope he never does, but it happens all the time to players. Look at Russell Teibert.

John Obi Mikkel is another example, at Lyn he was a world class prospect at attacking midfielder and was destined for a Man United move, but Chelsea came and brought him in from Norway and developed him as a defensive midfielder. He became a very high level player in that position, very effective for years, but he lost those attacking instincts with time. And in the past with the senior Nigerian national team, he tried to play as a no. 10, just like he did when he was a star at the U20 world cup, but he just looked like a defensive midfielder trying to play as an attacker. It was sad to watch, quite frankly.

 I really have more hope for Davies though, because playing at left back gives him the chance to take players on. He'll still get plenty of reps doing that and, of course, he'll get chances at winger as well.

For me it is a concern, but I do think he'll figure it out. I am not hitting the alarm bell just yet, but I do look at his development with cautious optimism.

I didn't mean to fault the change in position. I actually like Davies as a LB and it's probably the position I would groom him for. But I would encourage him to use his pace and take players on. He can beat anyone at any level, but he seems hesitant to do so lately

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Aird25 said:

I didn't mean to fault the change in position. I actually like Davies as a LB and it's probably the position I would groom him for. But I would encourage him to use his pace and take players on. He can beat anyone at any level, but he seems hesitant to do so lately

Oh yeah, on the same page as you. And I fully agree with you. He passes up on chances to burst past players too often. At least there are still glimpses of it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My honest assessment, minus a few hiccups (the mis touch off his chest, getting his wires crossed with Coman and Sanches a few times,etc.), he was solid at RB. When he switched to left wing, he had a hard time getting into the game but that was more Milan taking control of it after the subs. Like others have said, he needs to utilize his pace more when given the chance but smartly and bumping both Alaba and Hernandez is a tough task. I think he’ll be more of a sub for Coman and Gnabry. 

Edited by Macksam
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Yoginess said:

Coman is fantastic at LW. I honestly don't think Davis is that far behind.

This is accurate but also frustrating because Davies can be better than Coman once he stops playing everything safe.

He is still new and this is Bayern, where you can't cheaply give the ball away. I get it, but (hopefully) we'll see the day he plays with more freedom, taking players on more frequently, and expressing himself.

I think he has to earn the right to be on the field first though, play safe, smart and don't make mistakes. 

The other thing he needs to improve is his movement off the ball. When Coman came off the team lost an outlet. Perhaps it was just fatigue or the way the game played out, but Davies was far too stagnant in the middle third at LW.

Edited by Obinna
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...