VANCOUVER – Canada’s first World Cup game is in the books and they’re moving back towards full health, which means it’s time to have a conversation about a topic that’s been swept under the rug since the start of their training camp in May.Canada need more from Jonathan David.Through the lingering questions about Alphonso Davies’ availability — Canada’s captain trained in cleats and with the team for portions of Monday’s practice — and the health of their centre-backs — Moise Bombito is in full training — there has not been much David conversation. That’s curious, considering the Juventus forward is Canada’s most important player and all-time top goalscorer who is struggling to find the back of the net.Never was that more evident than in the 17th minute against Bosnia and Herzegovina, when the 26-year-old was unmarked in the opposition box. The ball fell to David, and he sent a surprisingly soft, left-footed shot safely into the arms of Bosnia and Herzegovina goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj.While full credit should go to Cyle Larin, who ensured Canada took a point from their first game, the reality is that where David goes, Canada does, too. Before the World Cup, they scored a goal from open play in just two of their previous eight games.Canada will struggle to win their group if David’s production continues as it has. That production has eclipsed the concerning stage and is now downright troublesome.David has just two goals for Canada in his last 10 games. Both of those were penalties. Before that, his last goal for Canada was a header from a sublime Ali Ahmed free kick during a September 2025 friendly against Romania.It’s not just his lack of production for Canada that is worrying: David finished his club season at Juventus with just one goal in his final 15 appearances across all competitions.That one goal? An eerily similar effort to the one he scored against Romania: a header from a cross that came in from almost exactly the same spot Ahmed’s free kick came from.Canada need David to score. They need him to change. But David and drastic change don’t go hand-in-hand.“Johnny’s been the same Johnny that he was (when he was) that kid that I first saw when he came into camp,” Canada assistant coach Mauro Biello told The Athletic before the World Cup. “It’s like all the success, all the fame, it just doesn’t faze him. Nothing’s changed in terms of him or his personality or how he works.”Canada can hope for a change in David’s approach – More urgency? More emotion? – and we’ll soon find out if they get it. David does, though, know more is needed of him.Jonathan David tussles with Sead Kolasinac of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Francois Nel/Getty Images)“What I’ve learned is his success is from that: his mind is so steady. For a forward, that’s so important,” Biello continued. “Because your mind doesn’t linger on all the noise that’s going on in the background. Your mind goes to the next situation, right? As a striker, it’s about the next play. ‘I missed the last one, no problem. I don’t worry about the last play, but I’ll be ready for the next one’. His mindset really hasn’t changed.”We can continue to describe David as “The Iceman” for his cool, composed attitude . But head coach Jesse Marsch’s extreme reaction to David missing his first-half chance against Bosnia and Herzegovina reveals at least some of Canada’s frustration at their best player’s lack of a finishing touch right now.Something has to give.Canada’s next game against Qatar has now become the most important game in the country’s men’s soccer history. A win against a side they are expected to beat all but certainly gets Canada out of their group. It would also give them a much better chance of staying in Vancouver for their round of 32 game — with less travel and more rest between the group stage and the knockout rounds.This is Canada’s first must-win game at the World Cup. No goals from their best forward won’t help their chances of securing that victory.“Each game that is approaching becomes even more important,” David told The Athletic in November. “But for me, to score is not the priority. It’s for the team to win and to put in a good performance. And I know that if I perform well and do the right things on the pitch, the chances will come. It’s up to me to finish them.”And so the first change Marsch could consider is the most basic one: deploy David closer to goal and not as a roaming, No 10 type.Marsch will give David the freedom to move because he adores his intelligence. In that roaming role, David contributes to the build-up with quick link-up play and then, ideally, by finishing the chances he helped originally create.But the last part of the equation has been missing. So why not simplify his role? Why not have David act as a target man so he can focus solely on finishing? Canada’s best player against Bosnia and Herzegovina was their creative midfielder, Ismael Kone. As it stands, David is not as necessary in the middle of the park with Kone directing traffic as fluidly as he has.David himself told this reporter in November that one of the reasons he was struggling to score for Canada was the lack of a strong final pass. The way Kone is playing right now – his pass into Promise David that led to Larin’s goal in the opening game was elite – David should not have to worry about the final ball.Another option Marsch should consider: starting Larin beside David.Larin has probably earned a start anyway after his historic goal against Bosnia and Herzegovina. But don’t discount the trust and familiarity the two share. Having played together for so long, both read each other’s movements well. That synergy could help each other find optimal spots to score.Yes, Tani Oluwaseyi brings the ability to do the pressing and hard running that frees up David to be his creative self. But, right now, Canada need Jonathan David to put that work in: getting closer to goal and getting involved.The final option Canada could be considering: loading up on more attacking options in their starting lineup. The more players who can play forward and get touches in the box, the better chance David has of having the right kind of pass played to him. You could make a case that David, Larin, Oluwaseyi and Promise David all deserve a start. Is there a way Canada can get three of them on the pitch at the same time?Amid David’s struggles, we can’t forget: the man has shown he can emerge from slumps. He’s done it before after a slow start at Lille. He left the French club as the third-highest scorer in the French club’s history. And, after just one goal in his first 18 Serie A matches this year, he broke out with four goals in his following five appearances.David can score. Marsch and Canada should rightly be betting on him. Any calls for David to begin the Qatar game on the bench should be tossed in the garbage, right next to that bench.Marsch should — and will — be focused on building up David, not knocking him down. What Canada have seen after the game against Bosnia and Herzegovina is increased intensity in training. Marsch will need the forward even more if their chances come down to a potentially group-deciding game against Switzerland and then possibly — if he scores — a World Cup knockout tie.“I see a confident player,” Canada defender Joel Waterman said of David on Monday. “He does so much work for us. And obviously, he’s our goalscorer, too. And Cyle coming in to score a goal, Tani was great last game, too, so I’ve got all the confidence in the world in our strikers right now.”