The biggest problem with the ratings is that they are so low for everyone. When the highest players are 88s and such, you can't rate the middle tier in the 80s.
I'm sure someone could make a case that there are ten footballers or more who are better passers than Bradley. All's I can tell you is that Bradley is easily the best passer on a solid US side and that he routinely has high passing completion percentages, makes key passes during scoring sequences, and completes an uncanny amount of difficult passes.
Clearly they are a bit on the low end. Bradley is the biggest snub but others like Donovan, Jozy, Guzan, Johnson, and Mix need a couple more points too.
I'd just like to go on record that most of the fans wanted you to stay as manager, the firing was unjust.
For the USA you have an argument but for the world your tripping. He isn't close to xavi, Iniesta, pirlo and there more
Xavi has a better passing percentage. Though, he plays in more fluid systems. It's okay if you think he or others are better passers. But, there's absolutely an argument for Michael Bradley. If I want a ball 40 yards on the fly diagonally across the field for instance, I'll take MB just as much as anyone.
I completely disagree with you. In your situation pirlo is the king of that. I'm not knocking Bradley he's one of my favorite players on the USA but pirlo, xavi and Iniesta, cesc and others are just on a different level.
Pirlo is roughly the same at it. Michael Bradley can make any pass with any foot and he's great at making passes in tight spots.
This is some kind of joke, right? Mike is a fine player for us but he is nothing near the likes of Xavi Hernandez. Landon Donovan is the best American passer anyway.
Like I said WTF. Bradley is a bad ass for sure, I am sure there are still some haters out there, but dude has shown he is class. Just not the "best passer in the world."
I'm really glad to hear you say that. I got sacked right after a 2-0 win. Who would've thought sleeping with the chairman's wife could do that?
You have to use the right stick to toggle over while you're on one of the edit/creation window panes.
Again, XH is the equivalent of a system quarterback. Take him out of the Spanish system and put him on a worse team and you'll see a lot of drop-off. I don't see how Donovan is the better passer. Yes, he has a better curling ball for corner kicks and free kicks. But, Bradley is great at virtually any sort of pass on the pitch. And unlike Donovan who has great speed to get away and who plays up top and on the wings; MB plays in the middle and is slower and has become a better passer out of necessity.
Let's wait a few more years and see what MB does before comparing them. Any guy with 57 international assists must be, by necessity, an excellent passer. IMO, MB is equal in short passing, but in those long through-balls, where the distance, speed and 'weight' of the ball is vital, Donovan is ahead by a bit.
Donovan has the ball in the final third of the field much more than MB. MB's assists will never be especially high. But, you'll notice that he usually has a key pass during scoring sequences.
In the last year and a half, yes. In part, the absence of Donovan as the playmaker left room open for Mike to shine. Which he did, since Dempsey is no creator. While I think Mike is vital to the team, I'm also aware of his shortcomings, some of which he has fixed for the most part --he used to be a defensive liability when keeping a high defense line, ruining the off-side trap by staying too far behind, for example. He does less of that now. His other fault is still there: he tends to try the same paths, which means his degree of dangerousness for the other team decreases as the game advances, since they figure out what zone he's going to exploit. Mike is a very smart guy, but at times he fails in being imaginative, so if he finds his two pathways (arrived at through intelligent study of the rival's positioning) blocked, he keeps trying and trying instead of thinking of an alternative. In the last months with Roma he was finally getting out of that loop. But, in my mind, that was the biggest difference with Donovan. When Landon's intelligence fails him, he gets outside the box and creates something new. Which is, IMO, a higher degree of smarts, the one that differentiates the mere researcher from the inventor.
I could list a bunch of guys who are better long range passers. Your statement is beyond ridiculous and Bradley is my favorite player by far. Bradleys best attributes is that he does everything quite well, he's smart and efficient. He's a good passer but sometimes lacks the creativity-at least for Roma though his role isnt to be the creator. Pirlo Totti Modric Xabi Alonso Carrick Sneider Schweinsteiger So on and so on. Heck even Holden -when healthy- switches the play or could play the ball as well if not better than Bradley.
It's fine if you think all those guys can make the long pass better than MB. But there's nothing ridiculous about the idea that MB can make the long pass as well as anyone. When the long ball opens up, he is routinely creating scoring plays. Off the top of my head, it was his long ball that got the US back into the game vs. Bosnia.
Bradleys overall passing skills are above average for sure. i like the guy but no way in hell would i argue hes an elite passer.