Alphonso Davies already has a case for being the best left back in the game

Bayern Munich teenager Alphonso Davies can create chances from nothing and is assured in defense. He is already Europe’s top left back.

From Real Madrid’s new signing Ferland Mendy to Borussia Dortmund’s criminally underrated – yet oh-so-exciting – Raphael Guerreiro, several left backs have emerged as star players in the 2019-20 season. Yet nobody’s breakout campaign can touch what Alphonso Davies has done for Bayern Munich.

It’s remarkable to think that Davies is a teenager playing on defense for the first time in his career after being a forward prospect with precious few Bundesliga minutes to his name. Davies was supposed to be a temporary fix at left back due to injuries along Bayern’s back line. If he had issues defending or made too many mistakes, Bayern could simply head back to the drawing board.

The Canadian has made more than 20 appearances at the left back position in 2019-20, and Bayern haven’t looked back since slotting him into the unfamiliar position. Davies hasn’t just provided an attacking spark. He’s been nearly impossible to get past with his acute positioning and devastating closing speed. Ask Chelsea. They’ll tell you how hard it is to catch Davies off guard, to beat him in the air, or to make a run behind him.

Statistically, Davies is without a peer. According to WhoScored.com, Davies completed 3.2 dribbles per 90 minutes to lead all left backs in Europe’s top five leagues. While he has fewer assists than Liverpool star Andy Robertson (seven to four) and doesn’t lead left backs in every statistical category, his consistency in the other facets of fullback play are worth praising.

For example, Davies is among the Bundesliga’s leaders in passes into the penalty area (top 20), tackles won (17th, first among left backs), successful pressures (14th, second at left back), total dribbles won (second behind Jadon Sancho with a higher success rate), touches in the attacking third (14th, first among left backs), and progressive distance carried with the ball (8th).

All of these statistics only compare Bundesliga players, but they serve to show that in numerous phases of the game defensively and offensively – whether the discussion surrounds dribbling, passing, tackling, or pressing attackers – Davies is a top performer.

That he’s already among the league’s best players as a 19-year-old in his first season as a top-flight starter at an unfamiliar position is extraordinary, but it’s already irrelevant to the discussion.

Davies is so good that he’s undoubtedly one of the Bundesliga’s best players and the league’s best left back (his defensive numbers are superior to Filip Kostic and Guerreiro, who are both wing backs and not even true left backs).

Although it’s tempting to want to pump the brakes on such a young player, the reality is that his comparison point is with Robertson, Mendy, and the other great left backs around Europe.

As a passer, Robertson ranks comparatively higher than Davies in key passes, passes into the penalty area, and other measures of passing play. He indisputably creates more chances as a passer than Davies. But he is not as prolific with the ball at his feet.

When comparing Davies and Robertson, the Bayern Munich star holds an advantage and is the best left back in Europe because of his superior defensive work. Robertson isn’t even among the top 50 players in the Premier League in tackles won or successful pressures. Across the board, he is a demonstrably less valuable player defensively than Davies, who is one of Europe’s best in that regard.

While defensively Davies is no Mendy, who allows among the fewest dribbles completed per 90 and has more overall defensive actions, the gap between Davies’ and Mendy’s attacking contributions is wider than any advantage Mendy has over Davies defensively. Mendy, after all, is a great dribbler but contributed just one assist and less than one key pass per game.

This comparison of margins works much in the same way when comparing Davies and Robertson. Davies’ superior defensive numbers have a wider gap than the distance between Robertson’s advantage on the attacking end, which is rooted in Robertson’s unparalleled passing ability at the left back position.

Davies isn’t “hands down” the best left back in European football, because Mendy and Robertson have strong cases. He isn’t even clearly the best left back in his own league, since Dortmund’s Guerreiro, who scored a brace in the league’s first return game, is also a world-class player.

Yet when looking at the holistic picture of Davies’ contributions on both ends of the pitch, it’s hard not to be enamored with his work rate, steady defending, and ability to create chances from nothing all on his own as a dribbler. Nothing quite compares to this assist Davies had for Robert Lewandowski, as this singular play exemplifies Davies’ unique danger to opposition defenses.

Just 19 years old, Alphonso Davies has shattered all expectations. He’s been so much more than an attacking spark or a competent short-term solution. Right now, Davies is in an elite class of performer at the left back position, and he’s already outplaying all of his peers.