Could Alphonso Davies's performance in Bayern's Bundesliga title-decider offer a blueprint to CanMNT for the World Cup?

 

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Alphonso Davies picked a great day to open his goalscoring account for the 2025-2026 season, as the CanMNT captain scored in Bayern Munich’s 4-2 win over VfB Stuttgart on Sunday. 

Thanks to that goal, which proved to be the winner in that game, Bayern Munich secured their 35th Bundesliga title with five games to spare, which is huge for them. Considering that they’re into the semi-finals of the DFB Pokal and into the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, they’ll now be able to put full focus on those tournaments, as they look to claim their third continental treble (a luxury that not all of their opponents in both competitions will have). 

🏆 𝑫𝑬𝑼𝑻𝑺𝑪𝑯𝑬𝑹 𝑴𝑬𝑰𝑺𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 🔴⚪️

For this badge, for these colours! ❤️🤍 pic.twitter.com/J5Xcn9gkFh

— FC Bayern (@FCBayernEN) April 19, 2026

For now, though, they’ll celebrate this trophy before looking ahead to the next steps on that journey towards a treble. In particular, you have to imagine Davies will be enthused to have played a role in securing this title, given that he hasn’t had a whole lot to do this year, having spent most of it out through injury. 

That’s reflected in the fact that he’s now still only up to 688 minutes on the season (across 18 appearances in all competitions), which is a far cry from the 2000 to 3000 minutes he tends to average across a typical club campaign. 

Of course, with Bayern having a minimum of seven games remaining, a number that could rise to nine if they reach the final of each of the Pokal and Champions League, Davies could potentially finish the season with around 1000 minutes under his belt - especially if he keeps playing as he did in this Stuttgart victory. 

His goal might’ve been the high point of the 62 minutes he spent on the pitch in that win, but he can be content with his overall play, as he showed what he can bring to this Bayern team when available. 

POST-GAME INTERVIEW 🎙️

Hear from CanMNT 🇨🇦 captain Alphonso Davies as Bayern Munich WIN the 2025-26 Bundesliga title 🏆🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/eWBL4YmZiG

— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 19, 2026

Deployed at his preferred left back position, he was influential on both sides of the ball, completing 27 out of 28 passes, along with three out of four dribbles, while also generating one shot and one key pass offensively, to go with one tackle, one clearance, five recoveries and five out of seven won duels defensively.

Here's Davies's heatmap from this game. As seen above, he was all over the left side of the pitch (SofaScore)

Plus, when watching back his performance, those numbers don’t even paint the full picture of what he was able to provide Bayern at left back, either. 

For example, thanks to his desire to drift into central channels and to make underlapping runs, as has often been demanded of him since Vincent Kompany’s arrival as head coach, he was able to free up space for left winger Luis Díaz, who had a two-assist performance (with one of those coming on Davies’s goal). Before, Davies was most impactful when overlapping, but now he can provide value in central channels, which has been a key area of growth for him under Kompany - even if he still loves to get wide and to whip a ball into the box.

Here's Davies's pass map from this game, which highlights the sort of positions he occupied on the pitch, tucking inside to play as a midfielder and pushing wide as a traditional full back. 

There’s a reason why he now has one goal and three assists in those 688 minutes of action - an average of one goal contribution every 172 minutes. 

Alphonso Davies picks up an assist after a blistering run for Bayern Munich's FIFTH goal vs Atalanta 🏃‍♂️💨#UCL | #CANMNT | @CANMNT_Official | @DAZNFootball pic.twitter.com/j04DAHQUO3

— DAZN Canada (@DAZN_CA) March 10, 2026

To be fair, it’s not as if Davies has been incapable of producing offence for Bayern in recent years - he had three goals and four assists in 2024-2025, three goals and six assists in 2023-2024, three goals and eight assists in 2022-2023, and no goals and six assists in 2021-2022, so this latest run is nothing new to see. 

Therefore, the big takeaway isn’t that Davies is producing offence despite his limited minutes this season, but instead, how he’s producing that offence. He’s still extremely dangerous when it comes to getting wide with overlapping runs, as he showed against Freiburg earlier this month, but he’s varied his game to complement that skill. 

90+8 MATCH WINNER 💥

CanMNT 🇨🇦 captain ALPHONSO DAVIES assists BAYERN'S 100TH BUNDESLIGA GOAL as Bayern turn around a 2-0 deficit to defeat SC Freiburg 3-2 🤯 pic.twitter.com/JSkubIbrxq

— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 4, 2026

His goal this weekend was an example of that, as he scored from the sort of position that one would expect one of Bayern’s attackers, like Harry Kane or Michael Olise, to score from, as he drifted into the box before scoring on a deflected effort from close range. 

ALPHONSO DAVIES GOAL!! 💥

The CanMNT 🇨🇦 captain makes it 3-1 for Bayern Munich on their Bundesliga 🇩🇪 title clinching day 🥹

🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/aY69Kr6UWk

— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 19, 2026

You can also see that evolution on some of his other assists this season, which have come from Davies making bursting runs into central runs, such as this incredible effort against Atalanta in the Champions League, or the assist he had against Werder Bremen in Bundesliga action. 

ALPHONSO DAVIES ASSIST 🚨

The CanMNT 🇨🇦 captain crafts a goal for Leon Goretzka just moments after coming onto the pitch, giving Bayern a 3-0 lead over Werder Bremen 😎

🔴 Watch BUNDESLIGA 🇩🇪 on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/oFQXCEkO1r

— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) February 14, 2026

That’s key, because this evolved version of Davies fits quite nicely into this Bayern team, whose strong season has been fuelled by their extremely flexible positional play under Kompany. On the ball, this Bayern team is extremely fluid, as all of the players are comfortably able to rotate all over the pitch into new positions. 

Because of that, it makes it fun to watch how certain players operate throughout a Bayern game. Kane might be the most interesting player to watch in that regard, if you haven’t seen a game - the Bayern striker, who is a deserved front-runner for the Ballon D’Or based on his excellent performances and eye-popping attacking statistics, can often be found anywhere from his own half to the final third throughout the game, which isn’t typical to see from a striker of his calibre, who might just hang out around the opponent’s box. 

But Kane's not the only one who can move all over the pitch - everyone bar Bayern’s centre backs and goalkeeper is in constant movement in possession, and it isn’t even that uncommon to see the centre backs make bursting runs on and off the ball to open up space and passing lanes if needed. 

Therefore, that helps show why Davies has been finding himself in new positions this season, and to his credit, he’s looking more and more comfortable in those spots.

Here's a sight you might not have seen much before Kompany's arrival - Davies tucking into the middle like a midfielder to open up space out wide. He doesn't receive the ball here, but he does a good job of occupying space, and opening up a different passing lane (OneSoccer)

Granted, this isn’t anything new, as he did take to Kompany’s system quite quickly after initially looking uncomfortable in the new role he was asked to play when the Belgian coach arrived in 2024-2025, but it’s a good reminder of how far Davies has evolved when seeing how he fits seamlessly in now.

Here's another new sight for Davies - he often makes runs like a winger, instead of staying deep in the attack before joining with a late bursting run. Now, he can help his side stretch the field, which is interesting to see (OneSoccer)

For example, just look at some of the runs that Davies made against Stuttgart, which would've been previously unthinkable to see from him at left back, which is a reflection of the confidence and freedom he has in this system.

Look at the way that Davies joins this counter-attack, showing no hesitation in his decision to push up the field and to support his teammates in a dangerous transition moment (OneSoccer)

That’s important to note, as it can be argued that Davies’s biggest value in Bayern’s system isn’t on the ball, but off it. Given how aggressively Bayern play with the ball under Kompany, especially in terms of the rotations they have in possession, they do a lot of defending in transition, which is Davies’s bread and butter. 

Even when not at 100% speed, which he doesn’t appear to be quite yet as he continues to work his way back from a couple of muscle injuries that happened in the past few months (and the major knee injury he sustained in 2025), he remains a weapon to help defend in transition, as he showed against Stuttgart.

As seen here, Davies can still help shut down dangerous attacks with his pace, as he does well to track back 50+ yards and force a poor decision from a Stuttgart attacker (OneSoccer)

But that’s nothing new. Since Hansi Flick gave him a chance as a left back en route to a treble during the 2019-2020 season, Davies has always used his speed to great effect defensively, with the biggest improvements in his defensive game instead coming in his ability to defend 1v1 and to improve his awareness. 

Now, though, he’s continuing to increase his value as an offensive weapon, adding more firepower to an attack that has no shortage of it when you consider the play of Kane, Olise, Díaz, Lennart Karl, Serge Gnabry, Jamal Musiala, Nicolas Jackson and the countless others who have played in the attack for Bayern this year. For a Bayern side that has already scored 109 goals in 30 Bundesliga games, 38 goals in 12 Champions League games, 12 goals in four DFB Pokal games, and two in one Franz Beckenbauer SuperCup game, Davies’s offence has been a nice bonus - although it is also a reflection of the sort of free-flowing attacking fervour that this side plays with under Kompany. 

Of course, while Bayern might not rely on Davies’s offensive contributions all that much, there is one team that would love to see this sort of production from Davies regularly, and that’s the CanMNT.

Heading into this summer’s World Cup, Canada will be relying heavily on the play of their captain, Davies, as they look to find their first-ever victory at the men’s World Cup and make a run in that tournament. Given that Davies scored their first-ever men’s World Cup goal at the 2022 tournament, it’s hoped that he can generate some more offence this summer. 

Yet, it’s worth noting that it’s a big ask for someone who hasn’t played for Canada since March of 2025, and someone who hasn’t generated a goal contribution for Canada since November of 2023. 

In particular, it stands out that he hasn’t generated a goal contribution since the arrival of head coach Jesse Marsch, who has played Davies almsot exclusively as a left back since his first match in charge against the Netherlands in June of 2024 - before, Davies often played higher up the pitch, scoring 15 goals and adding 18 assists in 45 games that preceded Marsch’s arrival. 

Davies has played quite well under Marsch, especially defensively, but it’s wondered if he could be a bit more valuable higher up the pitch as a winger, helping unlock the offensive potential he has in his toolbox - there’s a reason why there’s seemingly an eternal debate about Davies’s best position for Canada, with many split between if he should play as a winger or full back. 

Perhaps, though, this Stuttgart game could offer a bit of insight into how Canada could make it work if they keep him at left back, which appears to be the most prudent decision for Marsch to do, given how good Davies has been there for Bayern, and that he hasn’t played for Canada in over a year. 

It’s often forgotten that just because Davies is deployed at left back doesn’t mean that he can’t help Canada offensively, especially if his roles and responsibilities are tweaked in a way that allows him to be more dangerous on and off the ball.

Look at this run Davies makes here, nearly finding himself on a breakaway. It shows that just because he's deployed at left back, that he can't be a dangerous force offensively, especially if there are patterns of play and support systems to allow these sort of runs (OneSoccer)

As seen against Stuttgart, Davies can absolutely cause problems with his runs from deeper positions, both out wide and centrally, which can destabilize defences, something Canada could take advantage of. 

Just look at the way he combines with Díaz, which allows the Colombian winger to have more freedom in the attack, knowing that Davies will be able to fill in the space left around him.

Here's an example of Díaz's and Davies's partnership at work, as Díaz drops in to get on the ball, opening the space for Davies to run in behind and stretch the field (OneSoccer)

That’s worth noting, because if Davies plays at left back for Canada, he’ll hope to form a similar combination with Ali Ahmed, who has proven to be an excellent fit at left wing for his club Norwich City and for Canada due to his ability to find space in the attack in a way that’s not too dissimilar to Díaz. Stylistically, there is absolutely a world where Ahmed can combine with Davies in a similar flexible set-up, one that perhaps offers Davies a bit more freedom to go forward in attack. 

It’s no small detail that Ahmed is known for his good defensive work rate, just like Díaz, which could encourage Davies to push forward more than he typically would for Canada, knowing that Ahmed would be able to cover for him if needed.  

Of course, there are some things Marsch would have to adjust to make this happen. Namely, a big one is that whoever Canada’s right back is, which looks to be either Richie Laryea or Alistair Johnston, would have to be a bit more defensively responsible, something that both of them can do. While that would hurt what each could provide offensively, which is a bit of a loss, the reality is that Canada would benefit most from being able to free up Davies to attack more, even if it means sacrificing what Laryea or Johnston could do on the ball. 

And it’s not as if that would be a big departure from what Canada typically does, as they often build in a 3-2-5, with either one of their full-backs or midfielders dropping in to form a back three.

If anything, Davies’s insertion should offer them more tactical flexibility, too, as his newfound ability to operate centrally in possession could *technically* still free up Laryea or Johnston to push forward if a midfielder drops into the back three, too, which offers a bit of a different wrinkle tactically. Canada might not be able to have a fluid attacking system like Bayern’s, but they could have a few different looks on the ball as a result of that, making them less predictable in possession. 

Look at the comfort that Davies shows on the ball centrally here to turn and progress forward - the play didn't end the way he wanted, but it was a good clip to show the increasing comfort he's having in central areas (OneSoccer)

Yet, what this all shows is why it’s been so fascinating to see Davies’s development and his fit in Bayern’s attacking system, as that should only theoretically benefit Canada.

Here are some examples of what Canada's build-up shape could look like with Davies at the World Cup, using a hypothetical lineup (sharemytactics.com)

If he can provide the sort of aggressive defensive play that he offered at left back for Canada before his injury, while increasing that offensive production, he could absolutely be a crucial weapon for Canada this summer. 

Here's Davies's defensive actions from the Stuttgart game, showing his comfort in defending aggressively (WyScout)

With his speed and ability to defend in transition, he already fits seamlessly into Canada's backline for a reason - but they just haven't found a way to get that same juice out of him in the attack. 

Here's Davies defending aggressively for Bayern, something that Jesse Marsch will be happy to see (OneSoccer)

Now, they’ll still need to find the best way to accommodate Davies into their system without sacrificing key principles, which will take some work, but the potential pay-off could be immense, as he continues to show in each game he plays for Bayern.