Alphonso Davies’ deployment on the left wing during Bayern Munich’s 2-2 Champions League draw with Arsenal carried a certain historical irony. The Canadian international scored Bayern’s first equalizer, repeatedly threatened Arsenal with his pace and ultimately offered a reminder of the position he originally expected to play when arriving in Germany nearly eight years ago.
Davies’ transformation into one of European football’s most recognizable left-backs was never necessarily part of the original plan.
Bayern recruited the then-Vancouver Whitecaps winger in 2018 before integrating him into the senior squad in January 2019. Davies arrived in Munich primarily as an explosive attacking prospect capable of operating high on the left flank. The course of his Bayern career changed unexpectedly under Niko Kovac.
An injury to David Alaba left Bayern requiring another option at left-back and Davies was shifted into the back-four. The experiment proved so successful that what began as an emergency measure rapidly became his permanent position.
Hansi Flick, Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel all subsequently used Davies primarily as a full-back, even if occasional assignments further up the left flank offered reminders of his attacking origins. Davies himself eventually expressed some frustration with how permanent the conversion had become.
Speaking on the Say Less podcast in 2023, the Canadian recalled arriving in Munich with an entirely different expectation.
“I was signed to replace Arjen Robben,” Davies said. “Now, three, four years later, I’m stuck there still waiting for a chance to play further forward.”
Three years later, Vincent Kompany has finally offered Davies another significant opportunity. Wednesday night may not herald a permanent positional change, but Kompany’s subsequent explanation made clear that Davies’ return to an attacking role was considerably more deliberate than a one-night improvisation.
Kompany reveals Davies attacking option built into Bayern planning
Bayern entered the Arsenal fixture unusually short of established attacking options. Luis Díaz was carrying an injury and began on the bench, while Michael Olise and Jamal Musiala were both unavailable. Kompany revealed after the match that Nathaniel Brown had initially been considered for the advanced role eventually handed to Davies.
“The constellation before the game was such that, in my view, we only had four attacking players from a squad planning perspective,” Kompany explained at his post-match press conference. “Lucho [Luis Díaz] was a doubt. Michael [Olise] wasn’t there. Jamal [Musiala] wasn’t there. Initial thoughts turned to using Nene Brown in the position.”
“Myself, Max [Eberl] and Christoph [Freund] always have these conversations,” Kompany continued. “We always know that we have an option with Phonsi in the event that something like this happens. We know that Phonsi can help us in the position. We have enough defenders at the moment. That’s why we chose to deploy Phonsi in this role today.”
The decision paid off.
Davies current form revival could easily spawn more such assignments.
Davies supplied some of Bayern’s most dangerous vertical running on an evening during which Arsenal initially controlled proceedings. His 35th-minute equalizer came after Harry Kane dropped deep and threaded an excellent pass into the Canadian’s run. Davies escaped Jurrien Timber before finishing first-time past David Raya.
The move itself served as an almost perfect illustration of the qualities that originally made Davies such an intriguing attacking prospect. Once space opened ahead of him, Arsenal struggled to match his acceleration.
Kompany stressed after full-time that the possibility had existed long before Bayern’s injury and suspension situation forced his hand against Arsenal.
“It obviously worked,” Kompany said. “We knew from the very beginning of the season that such a moment could crop up. We knew the moment would come and today happened to be the day.”