VANCOUVER – How are Canada approaching their second World Cup group stage game against Qatar on Thursday?With the proper gravity.“This is one of the biggest games so far, for me, with the men’s national team,” Canada vice-captain Stephen Eustaquio said after Tuesday’s training session. “I think everybody knows that if we get three points this next game, it puts us in a good stage to get out of the group.”Getting out of the group stage would make this World Cup a success for Canada. To do that, Canada will need to improve on their first performance this World Cup: an up-and-down 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina.Canada were at their most dynamic in the second half, when head coach Jesse Marsch made all five of his substitutes. The energy Canada showed in the second half, buoyed by those changes, put Bosnia into submission.And so as we turn to Canada’s second game, one of the most pressing questions remains: will Canada’s stellar second half impact Marsch’s lineup choices against Qatar?Here is what we are hearing and seeing from Canada’s training sessions in Vancouver.Tuesday’s training session felt differentThrough Canada’s World Cup training camp, they’ve tried to project a calm and serious demeanour.Tuesday was different: it was the loudest, most boisterous and most enjoyable Canada has looked in weeks.“I think that the lads now are over that initial phase of the bright lights of a home World Cup and everything that comes with that,” defender Alistair Johnston said. “We know exactly what we need now. We need to go win a game against Qatar.”Notable on Tuesday: Jonathan David, the forward who has been thrown into the spotlight because of a lack of production, was as upbeat as I’ve seen him in some time. He moved, and communicated, like a man ready to command a game. Canada are going to continue to bet on him, and with good reason.Canada could make a change in midfieldAli Ahmed has to start against Qatar. He was a spark plug in the second half against Bosnia and looked capable of making a difference minute after minute. Plus, Ahmed is a game-changer delivering set pieces. If Qatar play a low block and try to foul Canada enough to negate their speed, (No one would be surprised by this) then there will be additional free kick opportunities in the first half. Ahmed impressed Canada’s coaching staff with his performance, especially consider he did not play in either of Canada’s World Cup warm-up friendlies due to a lingering hamstring injury.Ali Ahmed was threatening after coming on against Bosnia (Cole Burston / AFP via Getty Images)Ahmed’s pace and deftness on the ball could be too much for Qatar’s backline to handle. He might not offer the straight line speed that someone like Liam Millar does, but Qatar simply lacks quality across the board. Any chance Canada can get to throw technical skills on the ball into the lineup, they can – and likely will – take it.Could Canada overload at forward? Canada has four forwards at their disposal. All four can make a strong case to start against Qatar. Cyle Larin scored against Bosnia and secured a draw. He should not be overlooked to start up top against a team that could struggle with size as well as quality.Tani Oluwaseyi might have missed a prime chance in the first half against Bosnia, but he grew into the game. Oluwaseyi’s playmaking is an underrated part of his game. Canada like how he can be both direct and shifty with his runs. If Canada want to attack Qatar in waves, would they consider Oluwaseyi as a wide forward, as part of three forwards up top?Promise David? He made his presence known against Bosnia. Let’s not forget Marsch and Canada are always in favour of creating chaos whenever possible. All but one of Qatar’s players play in the Qatar Stars League. They’re not used to going up against forwards of David’s overpowering frame and strength. If there was ever a need to start Promise David, wouldn’t it be against a team that has little experience handling a player like him?Finally, Jonathan David. While he did not play to his potential against Bosnia — both David and the team are aware of where he needs to improve — he looked to be in a great space mentally since that game. He’s a safe bet to rebound.So what does Marsch do? Look for all forwards to try and get involved in some capacity, potentially early on.Canada are changing their approach with Davies information Consider this a PSA: public updates on Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies are going to be harder to come by.On Monday, Canada Soccer said Davies remained in “return to play” protocol. That means he would train partly on his own with Matthias Blankenburg, an independent specialist trainer. This has been part of the ongoing arrangement between Bayern Munich, Davies and Canada Soccer.On Tuesday, Canada Soccer said explicitly before training they had nothing to add on Davies’ status. They would not confirm whether he was in “return to play” protocol. Davies trained with the team through the first 15 minutes of training media were allowed to observe.After that? Anyone’s guess. And that’s the way Canada Soccer want it. They clearly understand the significance of Thursday’s game is the biggest game in Canadian men’s soccer history. And it’s for that reason that Canada Soccer are going to be keeping a tighter lid on Davies’ status.My sense? I’m doubtful Davies plays. He is likely to be utilized when he absolutely needs to be. Again, my sense: Davies is likely feeling the demands that both Bayern Munich and Canada Soccer are placing on him. His situation is different than the rest of Canada’s squad: he has a recent injury history and is a valuable piece to a team that expects to contend for the Champions League every year.And yet in Vancouver-based training sessions Davies looks sharp enough to play. His movement was precise. His power is evident in the shots he took in front of the media on Monday.By not providing updates on Davies — which is Canada Soccer’s right — the questions about him could only increase. Three of Canada’s leaders, Alistair Johnston, Stephen Eustaquio and Richie Laryea — all faced questions about Davies on Tuesday. That’s a lot of time talking about a player who has not played for Canada in well over a year. It’s a story that doesn’t look to be going away.“If he plays everything starts to open up a little bit more, but at the same time he’s not available,” Eustaquio said of Davies. “He has to be 100 percent so he can help us. Hopefully we can get that as quick as possible.“I don’t know if he can play. He hasn’t been training with us, as you guys know.”In the meantime, the public expectation around Davies’ availability in the World Cup could stand to be adjusted. When it comes to public messaging, Tuesday was the first day it became abundantly clear Canada Soccer are in the thick of a World Cup. And they will do everything necessary to stay in the tournament as long as they can.Alfie Jones should be getting a chance, but might not Luc de Fougerolles was stellar against Bosnia. When you consider how little international experience De Fougerolles has and the fact that he is just 20 years old, you could move his aggressive and forward-thinking approach against Bosnia into “great” territory. Canada believe the same as well. De Fougerolles should start at centre-back against Qatar.Derek Cornelius had both good and questionable moments against Bosnia. He’s viewed as a dependable option but Canada should still see what else they can get from their other centre-backs. The tournament could, potentially, be lengthier than ever for Canada.That brings us to centre-back Alfie Jones. Jones has played just once — 20 minutes against Uzbekistan in a June 1 friendly — since November as he recovers from ankle surgery. But his competence on the ball and the calm and decisiveness he brings to Canada’s back line is wildly important. All of that screams “valuable” against an uber-intelligent team like Switzerland.So, in that regard, wouldn’t you want to give Jones an appearance against Qatar to warm him up for when he’s needed?I’m less optimistic about that notion than I was 24 hours ago. Watching Jones take the training pitch in running shoes, not cleats, on Tuesday as part of what Canada Soccer called a “personal recovery day” was a head-scratcher. He didn’t look in great spirits on Monday either. Jones has already suffered a setback in his recovery from his ankle injury before. As much as he should be playing, I wonder if he will.Nathan Saliba deserves a run against QatarThe last player to leave the pitch after Tuesday’s training was Nathan Saliba. You could interpret that as Saliba spending as much time as possible on the pitch because he won’t be used against Bosnia. Or, you could look at it as Saliba staying on the field to sharpen himself up for his World Cup debut.I’m choosing to believe the latter. The crafty midfielder offers an uptick of speed and power in the back of Canada’s midfield. If the goal is to overload a Qatar team that could sit back, Marsch should be looking for as much pace as possible. That’s Saliba. Marsch wasn’t afraid to go to his bench early against Bosnia and he could do so again.Could Niko Sigur protect Alistair Johnston’s status?An under-discussed outcome from Canada’s draw against Bosnia: both Luc de Fougerolles and Alistair Johnston were given yellow cards. Two yellow cards in the first two games of the group stage means a player would miss the third game (yellow card accumulation resets after the group stage and the quarter-finals).Johnston and De Fougerolles employ a physical style. While there may not be an immediate option to replace De Fougerolles, Canada should be considering protecting Johnston against a second yellow card and having him miss the final group stage game against Switzerland.It’s worth considering Niko Sigur then for his World Cup debut against Qatar. In place of Johnston, perhaps as early as halftime, Sigur could show all the necessary smarts to outwit Qatar. Marsch and Canada’s coaching staff are fans of Sigur. They need to be thinking big picture about their lineup through the rest of the group stage and potentially beyond.