TORONTO – Maybe Jurgen Klinsmann was right after all.
The German-born coach of the U.S. national team drew widespread criticism for deploying Toronto FC’s Michael Bradley in an advanced position further up the field during last summer’s FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Viewed as more of a box-to-box midfielder for most of his club career, Bradley is renowned from making deep runs from midfield that allows him to better influence the game with his bursts of energy and wide range of passing. By making his starting position further up the field, Klinsmann was taking away one of Bradley’s strengths, and that’s why many believe TFC’s captain had an average World Cup.
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But TFC coach Greg Vanney has found success using Bradley in a similar fashion, recently shifting the American international to the top of a four-man, diamond-shaped midfield with Frenchman Benoit Cheyrou behind him in support. The results? Bradley has been excellent in his last three starts for Toronto, including scoring a goal-of-the-week candidate in last Saturday’s 1-1 draw away to the New England Revolution.
Since coming to Toronto in 2014 there’s been a debate among pundits and fans as to what Bradley’s best position is, and how the Reds can get the most out of him. Vanney appears to have hit on something with Bradley at the tip of Toronto’s midfield diamond.
TFC’s captain said he’s perfectly comfortable in this role.
“Over the course of my career, I’ve played on a lot of different teams in a lot of different positions,” Bradley told reporters this week. “It doesn’t ever change what I’m about, in terms of stepping on the field and trying to take as much responsibility as I can and give everything I have to help the team win.”
The key, Vanney explains, is to get Bradley in the ball in positions where he can still make deep attacking runs.
“It’s very difficult for defensive midfielders to track his runs with the power he gets going forward,” Vanney offered.
“He doesn’t play it in a traditional sort of attacking midfielder kind of way. He’ll drop back and build some speed and power like he did on the goal (against New England) going forward. That’s always dangerous, especially with the way we play.”
Cheyrou is also important for this diamond-shaped midfield to work. When he and Bradley were playing in a double midfield pivot, there sometimes appeared to be confusion as to who should hold their position and who should go forward. With Cheyrou protecting the back four, Bradley is allowed more license to roam.
“At the moment, playing in that role allows me to have a little bit more freedom in terms of moving around, attacking but still defending,” Bradley said.
Sportsnet commentator Paul Dolan has been impressed with how Bradley has taken on this new assignment
“He was very lively and looked to play forward quickly or bounce the ball off players behind him to open new angles while at the same time he wasn’t pigeon-holed in any one spot,” Dolan said of Bradley’s performance against Montreal last week.
“I thought he did a better job of not chasing the game too much as well which I think he sometimes tends to do when playing deeper.”
Another of Bradley’s strength is his energy, and that can be put to good use in this new role as TFC’s first line of defence in preventing the opposition from mounting attacks.
“He does a good job of pressuring the defensive midfielders and defenders when they have the ball closer to the opponent’s goal in that position higher up the field,” Dolan offered.
With Jozy Altidore out for the next four to five weeks with a hamstring injury, TFC is going to need all hands on deck and goals from other sources, so expect Bradley to continue in this advanced midfield role.
At the end of the day, though, TFC’s captain doesn’t get too caught up in his specific role, and approaches each game in the same fashion, regardless of the team’s tactical set-up.
“I’m not going to be a guy in that spot who is just waiting and walking around as things go on. I can give us a little bit of energy and power and the ability to still move forward but come back and help us defend in certain moments,” Bradley explained,
“I’m not so worried about the role or the position as much as stepping on the field and competing as hard as I can to help us be successful.”
