CANADIANS ABROAD: Race for silverware heats up for CanMNT, CanWNT players in European competition
And then there were two.
Following a busy week of UEFA Men’s Champions League, Europa League and Conference League action, just two CanMNT players are left standing heading into the next round, as Alphonso Davies’s Bayern Munich have advanced to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, while Jonathan David’s Lille have made it to the quarter-finals of the Conference League.
Now, they’ve got a pretty good chance of winning their respective competitions, too, which they’ll look to do when they resume in April.
Plus, while the field of Canadians playing in European competition has dwindled on the men’s side, the women’s side still has a whole host of CanWNT players, which is exciting as the Women’s Champions League gets set to kick off the quarter-finals next week.
Because of that, there’s a strong chance some Canadians are lifting some European silverware in a couple of months, as they look to cap off what’s already been a solid year for Canadians in these competitions.
Speaking of, here’s a look at how the start of the men’s knockout stages has gone for Canadians, as well as a preview of what’s to come on the women’s side, as a busy European calendar rolls on for all involved.
Alphonso Davies looking to recapture old UCL form heading into QFs:
As usual, Alphonso Davies has been very involved in this year’s Champions League for Bayern, playing all but four minutes in the group stage as Bayern won five games and drew one.
Yet, he then played a much smaller role in their Round of 16 tie against Lazio, as he dealt with a knee strain. As a result, that forced him to miss their 1-0 leg one road loss, before limiting him to just 12 minutes off the bench in a comfortable 3-0 win at home in leg two.
Because of that, he’ll look to play a bigger role in the quarter-finals, where his side have been drawn to face Arsenal, as he looks to help Bayern avoid a fourth straight season where they’ve been eliminated at that stage.
Quite the #UCL draw for Alphonso Davies and Bayern Munich, as they get Arsenal in the QFs, but then would face either of the wagons that are the defending champions Man City, or the 2022 winners Real Madrid
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) March 15, 2024
Compared to the other side of the bracket…that’s tough#CanMNT https://t.co/VVV5YIXD1K
Not only that, but Davies will want to rediscover some old form, too, as despite his heavy involvement in the group stages, he hasn’t been able to play to the same level that he usually plays at in this competition, such as when he famously burst onto the scene with a season to remember as Bayern claimed the 2019-2020 edition.
This year, he’s taken a step back statistically, struggling to impose himself as much on matches as usual.
To get an idea of how much so, take a look at his numbers from the 2022-2023 Champions League campaign and compare them to this year’s, as seen in these two FBRef percentile charts provided by FBcharts, which take players numbers and compare them against similar positional peers. 
There, the only three stats that haven’t regressed by more than 5% or have improved for Davies this year are successful take-ons, which are down three percentile points, his pass completion, which is down two percentile points, and his attempted passes, which are up 17 percentile points.
Other than that, however, the other numbers are down across the board, especially in both the offensive and defensive categories, along with some key ball progression metrics.
For someone who is regarded as an excellent attacking and defensive full back, one who uses his speed to be influential at both ends of the pitch, it’s a big surprise to see the numbers regress as they have on both ends.
Part of that is deployment, to be fair - under current Bayern head coach Thomas Tüchel, Davies hasn’t been as active offensively as he was under Tüchel’s predecessor, Julian Nagelsmann, who sometimes even deployed Davies as a wing back to use his attacking qualities.
Now, Davies’s big involvement on the ball is often through ball progression, something he’s continued to do very well in the Bundesliga, even if he’s slipped a bit in the Champions League.
The big surprise has been defensively, however, where Davies is usually quite reliable, making it a big shock to see his numbers dip heavily there. Especially under a manager like Tüchel, who is regarded for his teams being organized defensively, one would’ve thought Davies would fit in perfectly in that vision.
Yet, Bayern have struggled defensively this Champions League, conceding seven goals through eight games so far. That might not seem like much, and it isn’t, but it’s a lot for Bayern - for context, they’d only conceded two goals through this stage of last year’s competition.
Because of that, it feels like any improvement in that area of Davies’s game will come if Bayern can tighten things up defensively, something they’ll need to do if they’re able to get past their quarter-final matchup.
Alphonso Davies continued his return from injury today, playing 12' for Bayern Munich as they advanced to the #UCL QFs with a comfortable win over Lazio
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) March 5, 2024
After a rusty start, Davies grew into his appearance today with 18/19 passing, 1 tackle and 1 interception#CanMNT https://t.co/OKkXmAH9la
As a result, the big thing to watch will be how influential Davies can be offensively, as him re-finding his offensive form could help Bayern massively in the next round, especially against a stout Arsenal defence. With how narrow Bayern likes to attack, often playing with inverted wingers, Davies could help provide crucial width to the team that they’ve lacked at times, especially when he’s been injured.
If he can bring that, and Bayern tightens things up defensively, there’s no reason why Davies can’t return to his usual Champions League standard, helping his side go on a run in this competition.
Otherwise, a fourth straight quarter-final exit could await them, which would feel like a big disappointment given the quality that lies in this squad.
Especially for Davies, who has a few big months ahead when it comes to his future at Bayern, with the possibility of him going to Real Madrid looming, finding his best form will be the best thing he could do as he gets set for a big decision, no matter what it ends up being.
No matter if he stays in Bavaria or chooses to go to Madrid, a strong end to this Champions League campaign can only go a long way towards helping his career, making him one to watch the rest of the way.
Eustáquio and Buchanan see Champions League journeys end on PKs:
In a bit of a statistical oddity, two Champions League ties went to penalty kicks this week. For context, that was the first time the competition had seen such an occurrence since 2015-2016, when Real Madrid defeated Atlético Madrid on penalties in the final for the first of three straight Champions League titles.
Because of that, it shows how much of a rare occurrence it was to see there be two shootouts in one week, especially since they both involved Canadians.
Neither Stephen Eustáquio nor Tajon Buchanan ended up kicking a spot kick for their teams, but they watched on as their teams fell that way, with Eustáquio’s Porto losing to Arsenal and Buchanan’s Inter Milan losing to Atlético Madrid.
Just 1 Canadian remains in the #UCL heading into the QFs, as Alphonso Davies and Bayern Munich will look to go on a deep run after narrowly beating Lazio
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) March 13, 2024
Tough to see Inter (Tajon Buchanan) and Porto (Stephen Eustáquio) go out on PKs, though #CanMNT https://t.co/CP8mFxzb8O
As a result, both of their teams' respective Champions League journeys came to an end earlier than they would’ve hoped, ending in the cruellest of fashions.
And while neither featured much across those ties, with Eustáquio playing just 20 minutes combined across both games, while Buchanan was an unused substitute, they’ll be especially disappointed by these losses.
Why? Not only are they missing out on a prestigious trophy, but these losses reduced the fixture loads each team will have for the rest of the year.
While usually not a bad thing, especially for everyday starters, it’s a missed opportunity for Eustáquio and Buchanan, who have both sparingly played in 2024.
Of course, it’s for different reasons - Eustáquio has fallen down Porto's depth chart due to the emergence of some younger midfielders, while Buchanan is still working his way up Inter’s incredibly deep depth chart after his midseason arrival at the Italian giants, but both would have benefitted from deeper runs from their teams.
For example, look at Buchanan, as his two lone Inter appearances came in Inter’s two league games that sandwiched the first leg of this Atlético tie, as Inter’s head coach, Simone Inzaghi, rotated his squad to keep players fresh for that game. And the same happened to Eustáquio, too, as his lone 90-minute showing of 2024 came a few days after Porto defeated Arsenal 1-0 in leg one of their tie.
Because of that, the pair will feel frustrated that their teams were unable to advance, as their minutes could stand to take a hit for the rest of the year, barring anything surprising.
To be fair, they’ll just keep their heads down and grind, working for that opportunity, but sometimes those can come in moments such as when there is fixture congestion, so they’ll look to find that opportunity elsewhere.
Jonathan David helps Lille cruise to Conference League quarter-finals:
Jonathan David has been on fire as of late, as he’s been scoring for fun for Lille to start 2024, making him one of the hottest players in the world right now.
As a result, it wasn’t a surprise to play a key role as Lille cruised past Austrian side Sturm Graz 4-1 on aggregate, setting up a date with Aston Villa in the quarter-finals.
Over in the #UECL, a tough draw for Jonathan David and Lille, as they face Aston Villa in the QFs, and then would face Olympiacos or Fenerbahce
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) March 15, 2024
The Villa matchup should be quite interesting, as 2 of the most in-form STs in Europe meet in David and Ollie Watkins#CanMNT https://t.co/FUZ54gwXkx
After earning a bye to the Conference League Round of 16 after their group stage performance, in which they won four and drew two to advance with 14 out of 18 points, Lille showed why they might be one of the favourites to claim the third edition of UEFA’s third European competition against Sturm Graz, too.
Especially with the form of David, who scored two goals in a 3-0 first leg win, one that allowed Lille to rotate their squad en route to a comfortable 1-1 draw in the second leg to advance, they’ll back themselves against most in this competition.
Yet, for David, he’ll be pleased with what he showed with his first leg brace, as he’d scored just two goals across the six Conference League games he’d played so far this year, coming across the qualifiers and the group stages.
Because of that, look for him to build off this as Lille looks to make a run in this competition. Seeing that the two previous winners, West Ham and Roma, are both sides in the top five leagues, Lille will fancy their chances of winning given that they, Villa and Fiorentina are the lone remaining teams in the final eight who come from such leagues.
And given that David’s one of the most in-form strikers in all of Europe, that’ll add to that belief, as he’ll look to become the second active CanMNT player to earn a European trophy after Davies’s Champions League triumph with Bayern in the 2019-2020 season.
It won't be easy, but if they can't get past Villa, everything's laid out nicely for them to make it happen, showing why that tie could be crucial for David and co. 
Canadians galore as UWCL gets set for knockout stages:
But while the field of CanMNT players with European dreams has whittled down to just two, a whole host of CanWNT players have a shout of lifting some European silverware at the end of the year, with an impressive six players set to tackle the quarter-finals of the Champions League in Kadeisha Buchanan (Chelsea), Ashley Lawrence (Chelsea), Vanessa Gilles (Lyon), Marie-Yasmine Alidou (Benfica), Chandra Davidson (Benfica) and Clarissa Larisey (Häcken).
As a result, with those set to kick off next week, it’ll be quite intriguing to see how those crew of Canadians get on, as they look to join five-time winner Kadeisha Buchanan on the list of CanWNT players who have tasted Champions League glory.
And for what it’s worth, each of the Canadians involved will feel confident in their chances of reaching the semi-finals.
The quarters are coming 💪
— UEFA Women’s Champions League (@UWCL) March 14, 2024
Most exciting match = _________ 🔥#UWCL pic.twitter.com/caBFtuNOzt
To begin, Chelsea are one of the tournament favourites, after cruising through the group stages with four wins and two draws, as they get set to take on a plucky Ajax side. With Buchanan and Lawrence playing big roles in Champions League matches, the pair will hope to continue what have been strong campaigns to date, as they look to help Chelsea reach a second straight semi-final.
Then, Lyon are also similar favourites, as one would expect from the record eight-time champions, giving hope to Gilles of being able to win her first. They face a stiff test in the form of Benfica, who were a revelation in the group stages, but Lyon will feel confident after cruising through that stage with four wins and two draws, with Gilles playing a big role in that.
Speaking of Benfica, however, they’ll feel that they have the potential to upset the French giants, as they did well to grind through the group stages with two wins and three draws.
Considering one of those draws came against defending champions, Barcelona, in a 4-4 match in which Alidou scored a brace, they showed they can cause any team a problem. As a result, keep an eye on Alidou, who is currently second in the tournament’s Golden Boot charts with eight goals, as well as Davidson, who will look to make a secondary impact as she continues to find her feet at her new club after arriving midseason.
Marie-Yasmine Alidou is having herself a PERFORMANCE vs the defending #UCL champions
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) January 31, 2024
She’s got a brace now with a great header, tying things up vs Barca
She’s now got 19 goals on the season, and 4 in the UCL group stages#CanWNT/#CanXNT
pic.twitter.com/3uL9vmHrZw
Lastly, Häcken will also feel they have similar upset potential in their matchup with PSG, as they impressed with an excellent group stage performance. Despite being matched with Chelsea, Real Madrid and Paris FC, Häcken won three and drew two of their games, doing well to emerge as the second-best side behind Chelsea.
Because of that, heading into a matchup against a PSG team that only narrowly won their group with 10 points (3 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses), Häcken will feel that they have what it takes to upset them and keep their Champions League dream alive. Larisey will look to play a big role in that, too, as she was excellent at the end of the group stages after missing the first part with an injury, scoring one goal in three appearances, which came against Chelsea.
Yet, all of that shows why it’ll be worth keeping an eye on this competition when it resumes next week, as not only is there a heavy dose of Canadian content, but they’ve all got big roles for their clubs, too.
Now, they’ll look to ride that to glory in this competition, as Buchanan tries to add to her impressive haul of winners' medals, while the rest of her teammates look to join her as Canadian winners.
