Alphonso Davies reflects on season with Bayern Munich
Alphonso Davies looks back at positional change at Bayern Munich this season.
Bayern Munich lifted the Bundesliga title on Saturday after finishing the campaign with an emphatic 4-0 win against Wolfsburg. The German club enjoyed a remarkable turnaround of fortunes under Hansi Flick after an underwhelming first half of the season.
Alphonso Davies was one of the top performers for Die Roten this season. The Canadian winger started the campaign in reserves but ended the season as first-choice left-back for the first team. He has rapidly grown into a reliable full-back, staking a claim to be one of the best full-backs in Europe.
Die Roten moved quickly to secure the future of the Davies in April. They handed him a new contract that will expire in 2025 to reward his consistent performances in the full-back position. He also managed to win the rookie of the year award in the Bundesliga.
On Saturday, Davies collected his second Bundesliga medal. Speaking to Sky Sports this week Davies opened up about the positional change. The Canadian international also insisted that Hansi Flick had given him full backing when he was adapting to this new role.
"“It was really a challenge at the beginning. I came to Munich as an attacking player. Of course, I wanted to go forward but I also knew that I had a responsibility at the back. I had to learn the defensive role and also more about how to position myself.”He believed in me. He plays me every game and sees my qualities. As a young player, he talks to me a lot and gives me advice. I’m glad that he extended his contract.”"
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Davies got the chance to feature in defense for Die Roten after Lucas Hernandez and Niklas Sule suffered serious injuries midway through Hinrunde. David Alaba had to move in central defense to fill in for these injuries, allowing Davies to play on the left side of the defense.
The Canadian winger used his immense pace to make tremendous recovery tackles. He became positionally sound with every passing game, making him solid defensively. While going ahead, Davies had all the tools in his arsenal to make a difference. However, his decision making used to let him down. After the winter break, Davies improved his offensive play and became Die Roten’s potent outlet on the left flank.
It is likely that Davies will be Bayern’s long term left-back, provided he continues to improve his game. With uncertainty around the future of Alaba, it makes sense that Die Roten sticks with Davies as left-back next season. Moreover, Alaba is more valuable to the team from the central defense due to his tremendous distribution.
Next. Takeaways from Bayern’s emphatic win against Wolfsburg. dark
Die Roten will be pleased with the progress Davies has made this season. The club was right to make him the most expensive MLS transfer at that time. Davies is still a teenager, so he is going to get even better with more playing time under his belt.