The Vancouver Whitecaps have always been cautious with teenage phenom Alphonso Davies.
From limiting his media availability to consciously taking him in and out of the lineup last season, the Whitecaps and head coach Carl Robinson have made it a point to try to keep their Homegrown midfielder grounded, hungry and trending upward throughout his first 18 months in MLS.
This year, though, they’re giving the 17-year-old a little more leash.
Davies has performed well in both of Vancouver’s first two MLS matches, delivering a gorgeous assist and scoring his first MLS goal in their 2-1 home win against Montreal in the season opener and impressing after shifting from the wing to left back midway through the first half of their 2-1 victory at Houston last Saturday.
“I think he’s been very strong,” Robinson told MLSsoccer.com Wednesday. “He’s shown maturity for a young player, which is good. I thought last year he showed a lot of naivety being a young player, but this year, since the start of preseason, he’s made better decisions.”
Of course, Davies played a big role at the start of last season, too. He scored a goal while playing all but 22 minutes of Vancouver’s four Concacaf Champions League Knockout Round matches and started three of their first four regular season games in 2017. He hit a wall shortly thereafter, however, starting just one of the Whitecaps next seven matches and finishing the season with three goals and two assists in 13 starts and 33 appearances across all competitions for Vancouver.
While he didn’t get as much time as some initially hoped, moving him in and out of the lineup was all according to the Whitecaps’ plan. Robinson applied the same type of blueprint Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger used on his former Wales teammate Aaron Ramsey at the start of his career, taking Davies in and out of the XI to help him understand of the highs, lows and in-betweens of being a pro.
“With young players, they’re easily guided and they’re easily led, but what’s important is that you manage them correctly,” said Robinson. “I used that last year based upon how Arsene Wenger had managed [Cesc] Fabregas, had managed Aaron Ramsey, a Welsh ex-teammate of mine and a friend of mine. And he always used to say he would play three, four games and get left out and he couldn’t work out why, and so he spoke to the manager and the manager said it’s important you keep the hunger.
“Every fourth game, usually, is a flat game for a young player and that was his methodology. I’ve watched it, I’ve analyzed it and he’s right. Did I take it to the exact extent? No. Did I follow it in relation to using it in specific games? Yes.”
Robinson said he may employ that same tactic with Davies a bit in 2018, but that his season of development in 2017 makes it more likely the teen will stick in the lineup for longer stretches this year.
The Canadian international also won’t have the Gold Cup to deal with this summer. Davies played a big role for Canada at last year’s Gold Cup, tying for the tournament lead with three goals in four games. His solid play led to increased attention, and, according to Robinson, a little bit of a second half swoon.
The offseason trade that brought Kei Kamara, who, like Davies, was born in West Africa but moved to North America during his childhood, to Vancouver has also helped. The 33-year-old striker has taken Davies under his wing this winter, forming a solid relationship that paid off in the opener, when a Davies found Kamara with a pinpoint cross for Vancouver’s first goal against Montreal.
“Part of the reason I brought Kei into the club is, first, I think he would help us the way we play with regards to our team philosophy, but also I knew that I had an unbelievable 16-, 17-year old kid that needed guidance, not just from the manager but from players,” said Robinson. “And Kei was a perfect example within the league that I could find that I think would help him. So, Kei’s been a breath of fresh air, not just with me and my staff and the players, but also with Alphonso Davies.”
It looks like Davies will play a bigger role this year, but Robinson is clear that he still needs to improve. He’s wowed with the occasional spectacular play, but the Whitecaps boss wants to see him get better in simpler moments. He might be starting the year with a longer leash, but it could shorten quickly if he doesn’t develop that part of his game.
“Are the training wheels off? Yeah, they are. They were off last year,” said Robinson. “But it’ll be down to him how often he plays, because you can’t keep putting out a young player when his confidence is low or his energy levels are low. If you do that, you lose him, and I certainly don’t want to lose him.”
