With J Hutcherson -- Apparently, it's knock Michael Bradley day, courtesy of Kicker Magazine. Bradley got named to the mid-season flop list, coming in third. It's easy enough to build a case in either direction for how seriously one wants to take this sort of thing. Then again, it's worth remembering that soccer remains a team sport.
Bradley isn't in the best situation at Borussia Moenchengladbach, not even close. He's playing as a forward running midfielder in a league setup for defense. He's not getting the extended run that any player needs to establish himself in a new league.
Michael Bradley wasn't brought in to win a place at a club like Moenchengladbach. No matter how much you might want to build up the Bundesliga, his game at Heerenveen showed he belongs in high level European competition. Whether or not Moenchengladbach belongs is another story.
In the midst of the winter break, Moenchengladbach are currently dead last, six goals behind VfL Bochum on differential. The chances they survive for another Bundesliga season are slim. They've won three games, drawn two, and lost a dozen.
The last time they got a point was against Bayern Munich on November 15th and Bradley grabbed one of those goals. That could very well end up being the result of the season for Moenchengladbach.
What does Moenchengladbach expect from Michael Bradley?
His play as a regular with the US National Team has shown he can hold down a defensive midfield in pressure situations. Why wouldn't he be doing that kind of job for a club side rolling along with a -17 goal differential?
Instead, he's supposed to be scoring goals like he did with Heerenveen. Well, get him the kind of support relative to the rest of the league that he had with Heerenveen in the Eredivisie.
Talk all you want about challenges and taking advantage of opportunities, but there's just not enough here for Bradley. He's not going to raise Moenchengladbach out of the relegation zone on his own. At 21 and in his first Bundesliga season, he's also not going to be the difference in the locker room.
What's left is the kind of 'throw it forward' mentality that's going to end up with the kind of positional play and tactical naivety that can cost a coach his job. Bradley is already on his third in half a season. Jos Luhukay signed him, a Dutch player who got what Bradley did in the Eredivisie. Christan Ziege replaced Luhukay on an interim basis, and Hans Meyer took over a couple of weeks later.
Meyer has the reputation as a coach who salvages seasons. Good luck. He has a midfielder who has put his National Team in positions to get results against the best teams in the world. He's also got a player who let his game answer anyone questioning his extended run with the United States. That should be worth something.
Comments, questions, solutions to problems that have yet to present themselves. Please, tell me all about it.
