Is Alphonso Davies playing or not? This kid determines Canada’s ceiling

When talking about the Canada team, one name you can’t get around is Alphonso Davies. Bayern Munich’s left-back, valued at 40 million euros—the highest on the squad—is extremely fast, has outstanding breakthrough ability, and is the most talented player in Canada’s lineup.

The problem is that this kid has a thigh injury. From the warm-up matches until now, he still hasn’t fully recovered. He didn’t play in the first round against Bosnia. Ahead of the match, reports said he was “doubtful,” and the coaching staff are still assessing. Whether he can play or not may only be known at the very last moment before kickoff.

If Alphonso can play, Canada’s left side will be a supercar. His ability to surge forward can directly tear apart Qatar’s right-side defense. Qatar’s full-backs aren’t fast to begin with, and facing a explosive threat like Alphonso, it’s basically a situation where they’re left questioning life. What’s more, Alphonso’s crossing quality has been improving year by year, and Jonathan David and Larin are just waiting in the box to pounce on chances.

If Alphonso can’t play, Canada will have to rely on Buchanan and Jonathan David to hold the situation. Buchanan plays for Villarreal, and he’s not slow either, but there’s still a gap compared with Alphonso. Jonathan David plays for Juventus, valued at 30 million euros—the second-highest on the team—with excellent finishing ability, but he needs someone to feed him the ammunition.

My personal judgment is: even if Alphonso doesn’t play, it’s not a problem for Canada to beat Qatar. But if Alphonso can play, Canada might win even more—potentially 3-0 or even 4-0. The key role of this kid is what takes Canada’s attack from “pretty good” to “terrifying.”

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