As Canada coach John Herdman filled in his squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifying matches against Honduras, the United States and El Salvador, one name remained absent from the roster. While the absence is expected, it is still dazzling.
Alphonso Davies will not be in Canada during this international window as he continues his recovery after battle with COVID-19 in the first day of this month. After his positive test result, Bayern Munich announced the diagnosis of “mild myocarditis”, also known as inflammation of the heart. Canada followsannounced that Davies would miss the entire international window.
Playing with such a problem can be dangerous, and as such Davies will be sidelined indefinitely to recuperate, with no timetable for his return announced.
THAN: How long will Alphonso Davies be absent?
“I don’t think there will be any excuses from us this time around,” Herdman said when announcing his team, in Davies’ absence. “I think we showed we’re strong, we’re resilient. It’s going to be difficult, but qualifying for a World Cup is never easy.”
Said what?
With Davies absent, the Canada head coach said he is disappointed to be missing one of the team’s best players, but they will have to trudge through without him at this point.
“First, we wish Alphonso the best of health and hope he recovers,” Herdman told OneSoccer in Canada. “We can’t deny that it’s a huge loss for a number of reasons. He’s a contagious personality when he’s in the camp, and you miss him when he’s not here. But we had to. Adaptation, that’s part of the story.
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“We’ve been on this World Cup qualifying journey since last March, and we’ve been through a lot of ups and downs with players coming in and out, we’ve been responsive and I think that’s been the key to our success. This team has the mentality that these things are going to happen, and now is an opportunity for others to give feedback and make sure we stay on track to qualify for the World Cup. .”
How long is Alphonso Davies absent?
Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann told reporters on January 14 when providing an update on Davies: “Yesterday, during the follow-up checks that we carried out with every player available. COVID-19, we detected signs of mild myocarditis, myocarditis.
“He has stopped training now, so he will not be with us in the coming weeks.
“This myocarditis is not too serious based on ultrasound, but is simply a sign of an inflammatory episode. However, it needs to heal and that will definitely take some time. “
According to a report at the time citing the player’s agent, Davies was expected to be out of action for at least four weeks, which would see him return to Bayern Munich training in early or mid-February.
Alphonso Davies leads Canada in World Cup qualifiers
There’s no doubting Davies’ importance to the Canadian way of playing, and his absence will be felt no matter who steps in.
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Davies appeared in every game during this World Cup qualifier, with the exception of one, missing a 3-0 win in September against bottom team El Salvador due to a knee problem. He played the full 90 minutes six times and made it past the 80th minute in five other games.
In seven Hex appearances, Davies has one goal and three assists, while Canada has three wins and four draws in the games he has played. Extending that to both periods, he has five goals and eight assists in all of World Cup qualifying. The Maple Leafs have not lost in this World Cup qualifier, including six perfect wins out of six from the previous period to qualify for Hex.
Alphonso Davies ‘rises to stardom
The 21-year-old burst onto the scene with the Vancouver Whitecaps on the MLS side, making his club debut at the age of 15 in the 2016 season and went on to make 66 appearances for the team. Davies really came to life in the 2018 season, scoring eight goals and assisting 10 more in 31 appearances.
That caught the attention of the European giants, and he completed a move to Bayern Munich in January 2019 for $11 million. That has proven to be a bargain for the Bundesliga side, as Davies has become a key part of the Champions League title contenders.
Over the course of two-and-a-half seasons, Davies has racked up four goals and 10 assists, and has been named among the best full-backs in the world. He has progressed this season to watch more minutes on the pitch than he did in either of his first two campaigns with Bayern, but a recent diagnosis will likely ruin that endeavor.
