Borussia Dortmund’s Raphael Guerreiro praises Alphonso Davies, previews upcoming Der Klassiker

Alphonso Davies truly is a one of a kind type of left-back for Bayern Munich and he’s quickly burst onto the scene after coming from the Vancouver Whitecaps in the MLS.

In the Bundesliga’s midweek interviews released on February 15th, Borussia Dortmund’s Raphael Guerreiro was interviewed and he had high praises for Davies’s abilities despite being bitter rivals in the Bundesliga. Known primarily for his blistering pace, Davies possesses the ability to track back and make recovery runs from attacking positions on the left flank for Bayern, which is something a lot of defenders can’t do to as great of an effect, as Guerreiro alluded to.

“We have different styles. He is very, very fast – which I am not. I don’t have that speed. He is very quick. He is a very good player; I like his qualities a lot. His technique is good too. He makes a lot of runs down the wing. He doesn’t step into midfield that often, but he creates a lot of chances down the wing with his runs. My style is to create danger by entering midfield and through my passes,” Guerreiro explained.

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The Portuguese international also drew comparisons between himself and Davies to RB Leipzig’s Angelino, who is having a sensational season for Die Roten Bullen.

“We have different styles. You could also make a comparison to Angeliño. He is another very good player, with lots of attacking qualities. He is a player who brings in a lot of crosses. We all have different styles, but all have good qualities in my opinion. That raises the standard of the Bundesliga,” he said.

The Spaniard has already provided eight goals and 11 assists from a total of 30 appearances for Julian Nagelsmann’s side.

The season’s second [Bundesliga] installment of Der Klassiker also looms large in just two weeks. While there’s virtually no chance Dortmund can catch Bayern Munich or RB Leipzig at the top of the table, it’s still a massively important clash for both sides. Despite finding themselves more than 10pts adrift of Bayern at the moment, Guerreiro affirmed that Dortmund is ready to fight tooth and nail to try and claw their way back up the table.

“We know that our chances of winning the title are completely gone now. We have to stay hopeful of reaching the higher places. We will fight hard for second place. Part of this of course is getting good results against the big teams, as we have learned the hard way. We will try to beat them, as we always do. Unfortunately, that has not always worked for us in recent years, but we always try to play the best possible football. And to compete with them. I am certain that we will manage it one day,” he exclaimed.

Examining Bayern’s domestic and European dominance, Guerreiro said a lot of it has to do with their strength in depth and their ability to hold on to their top talents every season.

“They are a big team. They show that every year – both in the Bundesliga and in the Champions League. That makes it very difficult for us, of course. But that raises the level here in the Bundesliga and shows the quality of the teams here in the Bundesliga. They are monsters on the pitch. They have very good players in the starting eleven, but also on the bench. And they always keep their best players. That makes it difficult for everyone else as they know each other well. They know each other inside out on the pitch – how to play the ball, how to receive the ball, how to play it in to Lewandowski. That is what makes the difference for a team like Bayern, in my opinion.”

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