Davies vs Dortmund: Pros & Cons
Alphonso Davies is certainly a young player turning heads at the moment. The Canadian International has been a regular for Bayern Munich at left back for several months now and is making the position his own.
Bayern had a narrow 1-0 win over Dortmund in this game edging themselves closer to the title. Davies had a very impressive game. Key attributes and features
excellent speed
stamina to get up and down
good tactical understanding when attacking
dribbling ability
speed of play
There were some aspects of Davies game that need work and the Bayern back line as a unit also need to work on. Davies was drawn forward into pressing the RWB of Dortmund many times and failure to win the ball left huge exposure in behind. This was a big part of Dortmunds game plan was to expose the room left behind Davies when he went forward or when he was drawn out. Davies needs to know when to press vs when to drop and mark space. The covering center back Boateng needs to cover more but the back line needs to shift as one and provide cover.
Ball retention: Davies gave the ball away several times in this game far too cheap. If Dortmund were on it o another day they would have punished his mistakes. He must do better in possession and keep the ball for his team. There were several moments in this game where Davies got off the hook.
At 19 years old he Alphonso Davies is becoming a top player. There is a rawness to his game which is evident but if he keeps applying himself the way he has been he will become a household name in world football.