Thomas Tuchel riffs on left-back competition between Alphonso Davies, Raphaël Guerreiro at Bayern Munich

While Bayern Munich’s intense pursuit of Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane wages on, the Bavarians have already been successful in the transfer market in other areas of the pitch. They’ve signed Konrad Laimer to bolster the midfield and both Raphael Guerreiro and Kim Min-jae to help bolster the back line as well as making up for Lucas Hernandez leaving for Paris Saint-Germain.

For Thomas Tuchel, he now has a bit of a luxury of depth in the defensive department and there will be a healthy amount of competition for starting spots. Matthijs de Ligt, Min-jae, and Dayot Upamecano will all be fighting for spots at center back while Guerreiro and Alphonso Davies will also be tit for tat at left back. It’s a decent problem for Tuchel to have and having a deep squad can really make a difference when you’re trying to push across three fronts.

Davies has remained open to the idea of potentially leaving Bayern before his contract ends in June of 2025, and talks over a potential new deal have stalled. This hasn’t exactly gone down well with Bayern’s front office, especially now that he’ll have stiff competition with Guerreiro this season, though the Portuguese will be recovering from an injury in the beginning phase of the season.

Speaking of said competition at left-back, Tuchel explained that the differences between the two players is part of what makes the balance so unique. “Rapha is a completely different type of player. He gives us new possibilities. He’s a very smart passer. Phonzy relies on his pace, dribbling and confidence. Both are very different types of players. We’re happy to have them,” he explained to the press from the preseason camp in Tokyo, Japan.

He didn’t necessarily give an indication on who he will prefer to start at left-back, but it’s safe to assume he’ll be using Davies from the outset of the season since Guerreiro will more than likely miss the beginning of the season due to his right calf injury. Once he’s fully recovered, it might be a gradual process to get him up to full match fitness.

Interestingly enough, too, is the fact that both players can be used in midfield further up the pitch. Davies was a left-wing by trade at the Vancouver Whitecaps and Guerreiro played in the midfield from time to time for Borussia Dortmund, making both of them all the more valuable and giving Tuchel a lot to think about.