Bayern Munich squad preview 2023-24: Defense

Left-backs for Bayern in 2023/24

Firstly, we have the undisputed starter at left back, the Roadrunner, Alphonso Davies.  Davies is a superb athlete, fast as you could wish for and with dribbling skills to match, along with superb balance. Add to that the ability to deliver quality crosses on the move and it’s clear to see why Real Madrid is reportedly knocking on the door for his services.

The one knock on Davies is that he sometimes gets caught out of position and relies on his speed to recover. That, however, should not be entirely unexpected when taking into consideration his many overlapping runs down the flank.

The Canadian may also, at times, struggle against world-class opposition such as was the case with Bernardo Silva, in the most recently concluded Champions League, against Manchester City, but he’s not alone in that regard, and at 22 he can only get better.

Davies’ supposed back-up, the newly acquired free transfer from Borussia Dortmund, Raphael Guerreiro is simply a masterful left-sided player who can get up and down the flank, notwithstanding he lacks the pace of Davies. Similar to Davies, Guerreiro is better going forward than sitting deep, and in recent times he has shown the capacity to function well in midfield as a bonus.

With Davies and Guerreiro, Bayern has covered all bases in the left-back position. Any defensive gaps that either one may leave behind could be covered for by a defensive midfielder who possesses sound spatial awareness, but the topic of a defensive midfielder is for another day. Davies is expected to be the first-choice left-back for the start of the season as Guerreiro will have the task of displacing him from the team when he completes recovery from a side strain in his calf.