yyctimes

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    Calgary highway closed after serious collision

    March 27, 2023

    Ten people injured after house explosion in northeast Calgary

    March 27, 2023

    House explosion, fires rock northeast Calgary – Calgary

    March 27, 2023
    • Home
    • Contact Us
    Facebook Twitter
    yyctimes
    yyctimes
    Home » Alphonso Davies’ health dominates Canada’s buildup to World Cup opener against Belgium
    yyctimes

    Alphonso Davies’ health dominates Canada’s buildup to World Cup opener against Belgium

    yyctimesBy yyctimesNovember 22, 2022No Comments6 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Telegram Pinterest Tumblr Reddit Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Will he or won’t he play on Wednesday? The mystery surrounding Canada star Alphonso Davies’ fitness at the World Cup will soon be answered.

    If not definitive.

    Canada’s defender Alphonso Davies kicks the ball during practice ahead of the World Cup in Doha, Qatar on Saturday, November 19, 2022.

    THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

    The Bayern Munich star has not played since walking off the pitch with the back of his right thigh on November 6 in a Bundesliga match at Hertha Berlin. An elated Davies arrived late in Qatar, landing last Friday after staying in Germany for treatment of a hamstring strain.

    Story continues below advertisement

    Bayern subsequently said its participation in the World Cup was “not in danger”, which admittedly was positive not exactly a timetable for a return to play,

    Canada Soccer did not make the 22-year-old from Edmonton available at his daily post-training media sessions. But Davies took the initiative on Sunday and declared himself fit in an interview with TSN.

    “I’m ready to go,” he said, referring to the 41st-seeded Canadian’s midweek tournament against No. 2 Belgium.

    READ MORE: Team Canada’s Alphonso Davies lands as Doha warms up ahead of World Cup kick-off

    Coach John Herdman was much more cautious when speaking to the media on Saturday. He said that although Davies was able to participate in some of the contact work during training, “he is still building to reach his top speed.”

    “He hasn’t reached that top speed yet and when you have hamstring injuries it’s always the key moment. That’s when the thigh muscle is pushed to its limit.”


    Click to play video: 'Alphonso Davies soccer skills boost Canada's World Cup hopes'

    2:16
    Soccer skills of Alphonso Davies spark Canada’s World Cup hopes


    Davies appeared to reach one of those limits during a warm-up drill on Monday when he grimaced and pulled up, seemingly favoring a leg. He returned to the warm-up but looked in visible discomfort for a few seconds.

    Story continues below advertisement

    Media are allowed to view 15 minutes before the training actually begins and they are directed back to the outside view media center. This means they can watch the players come out on the field and warm up.

    On Monday, they did it two fields away from the watching reporters, who needed the Hubble Space Telescope to see what was going on. A long camera lens unearthed Davies’ moment of agony.

    What happens after the warm-up is under control. Players can fire up a Hibachi grill and crack open a cold one with the traveling media unaware.

    Popular now

    Popular now

    In the absence of any reliable intelligence about the Canada star, theories abound.

    Was Davies’ public pronouncement intended to put pressure on Canada to play him on Wednesday in the wake of Herdman’s public caution?

    “My mission is to make sure he plays at this World Cup, it’s a childhood dream for him,” the coach said on Saturday, before adding: “And not to put him in a position where he’s unsafe is not.”

    The Davies camp has shown no reluctance to rock the Canada boat, as evidenced by the decision to request – and publicly – stop sales of its jerseys until an image/name deal was obtained. Talks about such an agreement were ongoing, but the public probably accelerated the process.

    Story continues below advertisement

    The Davies brand is carefully cultivated, with its management understandably extremely selective about who it contacts in the business world.

    Davies chooses products close to his heart — he’s an avid FIFA player and just loves wearing Crocs.

    A fan of the movie Cars, he showed off his Lightning McQueen special edition Crocs on a social media video in Doha. Montgomery (Lightning) McQueen is the protagonist of the animated Pixar franchise.

    His portfolio also includes deals with Nike, BMO and BioSteel.


    Click to play video: 'Canadian soccer star Alphonso Davies tells FIFA World Congress of his dream ahead of 2026 World Cup vote'

    0:59
    Canadian soccer star Alphonso Davies tells FIFA World Congress of his dream ahead of the 2026 World Cup vote


    Other teams at the tournament have 26 stars, all of whom have their own agendas, sponsors and advisors. While Canada has other elite players at top clubs, Davies is by far the team’s marquee man.

    He has 6.6 million followers on TikTok, 5.1 million on Instagram and 479,300 on Twitter. Not to mention an irrepressible joie de vivre.

    Story continues below advertisement

    On the field, he’s lightning, able to run down opponents and wreak havoc among defenders. Health permitting, he is Canada’s wild card and a real problem for opponents.

    The decision on whether he plays can of course only be made by the medical staff. One would hope so. Judging by Davies’ expression during that one worrying moment on Monday, he looked anything but ready to go.

    The switch of the competition to November-December, in the middle of the season for most leagues, due to the unforgiving Qatar climate during the summer, increased the chance of players arriving with a knock.

    READ MORE: Next-level opposition awaits Canada’s World Cup soccer team in Qatar

    Herdman will not be the only coach at the tournament weighing up the risk-reward of using a player recovering from injury in the first outing, given concerns that exacerbating the problem by using Davies too soon’ can mean an even longer absence.

    And while Canada is here to compete, the odds of beating Belgium aren’t high. So is it better to evict Fonzie and be safe rather than sorry?

    Herdman also raised questions about the health of midfielder Stephen Eustaquio and goalkeeper Milan Borjan. Both were on the practice field in the portion visible to reporters on Monday.

    Story continues below advertisement

    Some have suggested that this is all gamesmanship on Canada’s part? It doesn’t seem Herdman’s style.

    Or are Davies’ comments just a reflection of players wanting to play, as suggested by someone in the Canada camp?

    Maybe so – especially on the world’s biggest stage – but most players also know their bodies and understand that cutting corners can lead to an even longer layoff. And the optics of trumping one’s coach hours after his news conference are less than ideal.

    Asked on Monday how Davies looked, forward Ike Ugbo replied: “Really sharp as usual.” And left it there.

    Others had a slight reservation

    Forward Jonathan David said on Sunday that Davies’ declaration of fitness was “a big boost because we know how important a player he is to us and what he brings to the team.”

    Then he added: “So, of course, if he’s 100 percent, we’re all happy.”

    Veteran midfielder Jonathan Osorio said: “He is our star player. He is a very important player for us. We’ll see what the medical staff (says) when they examine him with the coaching staff. In the end they decide together with Alphonso if he is ready to go.”

    Herdman, will again be front and center at the pregame news conference on Tuesday. Davies won’t be there, but he’ll still be hard to miss.



    Source link

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    yyctimes
    • Website

    Related Posts

    Calgary highway closed after serious collision

    March 27, 2023

    House explosion, fires rock northeast Calgary – Calgary

    March 27, 2023

    Woman dies after hitting steel cable while snowmobiling on river in central Alberta: RCMP

    March 27, 2023

    Kate Beaton’s graphic memoir ‘Ducks’ gives insight into working at Alberta’s oilsands

    March 27, 2023

    Edmonton prepares to bid farewell to 2 slain police officers at regimental funeral Monday

    March 27, 2023

    ‘Shock to the system’: Magic of Christmas in search of new Calgary home after rent increase

    March 26, 2023

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    Don't Miss
    yyctimes

    Calgary highway closed after serious collision

    By yyctimesMarch 27, 2023

    The Calgary Police Service informed QR Calgary officers responded to calls round 11:30 a.m. a…

    Ten people injured after house explosion in northeast Calgary

    March 27, 2023

    House explosion, fires rock northeast Calgary – Calgary

    March 27, 2023

    Alberta woman killed after snowmobile collides with steel cable

    March 27, 2023
    Our Picks

    Calgary highway closed after serious collision

    March 27, 2023

    Ten people injured after house explosion in northeast Calgary

    March 27, 2023

    House explosion, fires rock northeast Calgary – Calgary

    March 27, 2023

    Alberta woman killed after snowmobile collides with steel cable

    March 27, 2023

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from SmartMag about art & design.

    Our Picks

    Calgary highway closed after serious collision

    March 27, 2023

    Ten people injured after house explosion in northeast Calgary

    March 27, 2023

    House explosion, fires rock northeast Calgary – Calgary

    March 27, 2023
    New Comments

      Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.